Dating Problems
by ewon
Summary: It's RuHana...again...
1. Nosebleed

Notes: Hiya! Well, this is a continuation to Watching Him. (I can't say it's a sequel. Sequel is such an…official word, don't you think? This is merely a fan fic...and possibly a poor one at that…) It took awhile to come up with anything decent enough to put in a story. But finally I thought I would write about the difficulties these two lovebirds face and how they overcome them. That is, if I can. We'll have to see about that. Anyway, I really hope you can enjoy this and I apologize if there are any mistakes in it. Feel free to point the mistakes I make, perhaps I can learn from them. Uh…enough of this talk. Enjoy! - At least try to…

Dating Problems

Chapter 1 - Nosebleed (otherwise known as: Jealousy Part 1)

Strong muscles moved smoothly under sweaty skin. Hips swayed. Rukawa stared intently as Sakuragi prepared to shoot. He knew the best part was coming soon. _And there! Here it comes!_

Sakuragi jumped. His shirt rose to reveal the tanned skin of his stomach and back, his shorts did the same to expose more of his skin to Rukawa's hungry stare. A stream of drool made its way down Rukawa's chin. _My god! He's gorgeous._ The memory of Sakuragi's skin under his hands made him feel a little uncomfortable but he did his best to ignored it.

"Haha! See that, Gori!? That's how I, the tensai, shoot. Watch and learn!" Sakuragi put his hands on his hips and laughed his infamous laugh.

Akagi's eye twitched but he chose to remain silent, knowing it wouldn't do any good to start arguing with the team's biggest moron.

"Nyahahaha!! Did you see that? Did you see that?" Sakuragi went from one person to another, grabbing their shirts and demanding to know if they had by any chance missed his miraculous performance.

Kogure adjusted his glasses and smiled his warm smile to Sakuragi when the loud red head reached him and pulled their faces only inches apart. "Yes, I saw. Very good, Sakuragi. You've improved surprisingly fast."

Sakuragi put his hand behind his neck, laughed and smacked Kogure on the shoulder so forcefully that the shorter boy almost lost his balance. "You're very wise, Megane-kun!"

__

Not that wise, Rukawa thought with gritted teeth. _Get any closer to Hanamichi and I'll…_Rukawa's brows knotted to a feep frown as he watched how Sakuragi and Kogure continued chatting. _Damn it! Don't stand so close! No, put that hand away! _His suspicious eyes followed Kogure's movements as the bespectacled senior patted Sakuragi on the back and smiled up at the beaming boy. He shot Kogure a death glare through his bangs but the other failed to notice it. The gentle boy did, however, feel a funny feeling in the back of his head and shruddered for no obvious reason.

Finally, to Rukawa's immense relief, Sakuragi moved on to his next victim. Rukawa continued to discreetly observe his actions while absent-mindedly dribbling a ball to appear busy and not to be disturbed.

He had been suffering from burning jealousy ever since Sakuragi had accepted his feelings. He tried not to feel the constant stabs that went through his heart every time someone was close to Sakuragi but he couldn't help it. It wasn't that he didn't trust Sakuragi's feelings. But world was full of dangerous bastards that tried to get close to the adorably innocent loudmouth. _Like that stupid old man in the restaurant yesterday. And that disgusting business man. And that creep from Ryonan!_ Rukawa gritted his teeth and emitted a deep growl through his throat. _Damn him and his sly manners! One day I'm going to show him what nosy, flirting fools get from trespassing someone else's territory._

And then there were the kind, nice people, like Kogure, who acted way too friendly with his boyfriend. It made him cringe, even though he _knew_ they didn't mean anything by it.

The third group consisted of people who got to touch Sakuragi through teasing and such, mainly the Sakuragi guntai, Mitsui and Miyagi. And Akagi Haruko…well, let's just say that the girl had managed to get a whole group to herself and that that particular group held the first place on his 'jealousy list'.

Out of these four groups, the one that caused Rukawa the most trouble was the first one. He had been a little surprised to realise how innocent and naive the red head was. But, after some thinking, he had thought that he should've known. The mad blushing that covered Sakuragi's face every time someone mentioned something that was related to the subject of love, was clue enough. _In any case, I like it. I like to see a flustered look on his face, I like the blush, like the stammering. I like it all._ Not to mention it made teasing Sakuragi very easy. But alas! Others had noticed how cute the do'aho was and had started to take advantage of his slow uptake on such things. And it annoyed and worried Rukawa to no end.

__

So I have a perfectly good reason to feel jealousy, Rukawa thought as he watched how Sakuragi tried desperately to steal a ball from Miyagi. _It's not because of him but because of others. I trust him but I don't trust others, that's how it is. I'm only trying to protect him from perverts._ He stopped dribbling and just stood there, eyes fixed on his struggling boyfriend. The do'aho was doing a poor job stealing the ball. It made him smile -inwardly, of course.

Suddenly Sakuragi's foot slipped and he fell down. Cursing, he started to get up. Rukawa dropped the ball he had been holding and drool began its long journey from his mouth to his chin and all the way to his jersey. Sakuragi was giving Rukawa a clear view of his pretty behind and Rukawa's mind was overflowing with improper images. He looked away when he felt blood starting to ooze from his nose. _Shit!_ He tried to wipe it away without anyone noticing but unfortunately Ayako chose this moment to glance at him.

"Rukawa! What happened?" she asked worriedly, hurrying towards him with a handkerchief in an outstreched hand.

__

Shit, oh shit! He waved his hand as if to shoo her away and in the same time wiped the rest of the blood with the collar of his jersey. "Nothing. I'm fine." He wished that no one else had noticed anything, but no such luck. Instead, everyone turned to look at him, some worried, some just plain curious. For a moment Rukawa enjoyed the warmth Sakuragi's concern made him feel but started to sweat when it became obvious they wanted some kind of an answer from him.

"Uh…" _What the hell should I say?_

Ayako still held the handkerchief and looked up at him. Behind her Rukawa saw Akagi coming closer. His fan club was screaming.

__

What should I say? Should I tell the truth? 'Oh, nothing, I was just admiring Hanamichi's ass'. If Rukawa had been the type to sweatdrop, he would've done so now. _What the _hell_ should I say?_ If it had been entirely up to him, he probably would've told the truth. However, Sakuragi being the adorable, shy creature that he was (when it came to things like this, otherwise the words 'shy' and 'Sakuragi' could not even be used in the same sentence), had asked Rukawa not to tell anyone of them going out. He had wanted time to get used to the idea and curses! Rukawa had agreed because he could not deny anything from those brown, begging, soft, deep, seductive, alluring…ahem, well, to cut it short… eyes. So here he was now, unable to explain why he had suddenly produced a nosebleed out of the blue. _What should I say?_

The tension was getting thicker. Rukawa shifted uneasily under about a dozen intense stares and did his best to avoid eye contact. Then suddenly, the tension was broken. Broken by an obnoxious laughter. Rukawa looked up and saw Sakuragi pointing at him while laughing his head off.

"Haha! Kitsune, you're getting clumsy! Were you so awed by my talents that you forgot everything else?"

__

Huh?

Miyagi stared at Sakuragi. "What the hell are you talking about, Hanamichi?"

Sakuragi was unfazed by the bewildered looks he was getting. "Well, it's obvious. Let the tensai explain it to you, Ryo-chin. The kitsune here", he pointed at Rukawa to clarify his meaning, although everyone already knew who he had meant, "was so occupied with admiring my talents that he forgot he was handling a ball and was thus hit in the face. By the ball. When it was bouncing back. Do you understand now?"

Rukawa blinked. Then he had to suppress a laugh. Leave it to Sakuragi to find the simplest, the most absurd reason. _Like I would ever be so clumsy. Well, whatever, it's as good a reason as any I can think of. But I'll leave the 'admiring your talents' thing. I was admiring you alright, but my admiration was directed at your other assets._ "Do'aho."

"Right." Mitsui grimaced at Sakuragi. "As if _that _would happen."

"No." Everyone turned once again to face Rukawa when he spoke. "It was the ball." He sighed his 'do'aho sigh'. "But not him." Rukawa could've snickered at the irony of his words. _ Actually it's: it was Hanamichi, but not the ball. Well, whatever._

The basketball team stared at Rukawa for awhile in a stunned silence. Then Akagi turned away muttering something like: 'Something must've gotten into his eyes…' Slowly the crowd around Rukawa dispersed and he went back to his training. When his back was turned to them, a faint smile lightened his face. _Do'aho. I'm glad I'm in love with you, my wonderful, wonderful do'aho._ A silent laughter shook his shoulders, but it went unnoticed by everyone. Except perhaps a certain red headed delinquent who glanced at him with shining, bright eyes and then turned back. Content, although not understanding what had happened. The kitsune seemed to be alright.


	2. Jealousy Defeated

Notes: Thank you very much for the reviews! Uh, I realise it's been quite a while. My inspiration went for a holiday. But it's back home now. I hope you can enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 2 - Jealousy Defeated (Jealousy Part 2)

Rukawa plopped onto his bed and let out a deep sigh. Rolling over, he looked at a can of juice that stood on his desk. To think that something like that had cleared all the problems Rukawa had had with his jealousy. Well, almost. He put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling, recalling the events earlier that day.

…………………

"Nyahaha!! He was such an idiot! He thought that he could beat this tensai! Haha, he was a hundred years too early." Sakuragi continued laughing in a most boisterous way that caught the attention of most of the students that were currently in the school cafeteria. The ones that shared his table seemed not to notice how much attention they were getting. Sakuragi acting this way was so common that they didn't even pay attention to it anymore.

"You do realise that you challenged a five-year-old for a match of poker, Hanamichi?" Noma jeered.

"Shut up! You were the ones that bet on it." Sakuragi huffed, a slight pout on his lips.

"That's right," Yohei took part in the conversation, "And you lost, Noma."

"You did?" Sakuragi lifted his gaze from his food and fixed it on Noma instead. The other boy watched in growing terror as the redhead gradually comprehended the meaning of those words. Once the thinking process was over, Sakuragi leapt up from his seat and grabbed Noma's collar. "You bastard! What kind of a friend are you? You thought I would lose to a little kid?"

Even though Noma knew what would happen if he voiced his thoughts he couldn't resist the temptation. "Well, you showed unexpected intelligence and had some luck. Otherwise you would've lost."

Bam! Noma lied on the ground, clutching his wounded forehead. Sakuragi plopped back to his chair. "Don't doubt the tensai again." He took his chopsticks and was about to dig in again, when another boy spoke in a monotonous voice.

"I lost too."

Sakuragi's chopsticks stopped in mid-air. His head slowly turned to the person sitting next to him. The boy was casually eating his food, like there was nothing strange in his words. "Wh-what did you say?"

The boy looked stoically at the opposite wall. "I was going to buy myself some juice with that money."

Sakuragi opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, unable to produce a sound.

The boy turned to look at him and pointed at him with his chopsticks with an accusing look in his eyes. "I lost it because of you. You owe me a can of juice."

Sakuragi was shaking visibly. His face was bright red. Yohei dragged his chair a little further away from the pair. "You…you…" Sakuragi tried to think of something witty to say but since he couldn't come up with anything at the moment, he settled for another: "You!" But this time, he said it with much more emphasis. Then he proceeded to show that, even though his ability in making speeches was a little rusty, his abilities in physical retorts definitely were not. "Rukawa! I'll kill you!"

For awhile the only things that could be seen were flailing arms, blurs of red and black and occasional glimpses of white, when Sakuragi attacked with his teeth bared. Then everything was over, Sakuragi sat back and grabbed his chopstick once again. He grinned widely. "That'll teach you, stupid kitsune!" he said smugly. His face was covered with scratches and his nose was bleeding.

"Do'aho," Rukawa replied, concentrating on his food. His appearance was a little better than Sakuragi's. He handed Sakuragi a handkerchief. "You still owe me the juice."

Sakuragi took the the offered handkerchief and patted his nose. "Bastard, you lost your money because of your own stupidity."

"Hold it in place or the bleeding won't stop," Rukawa said without looking at the other boy. "Do'aho. I lost it because you didn't behave like you were supposed to."

Sakuragi did as he was told. "Don't ever underestimate the tensai and you'll be able to buy tons of juice."

"Do'aho."

"Bastard."

"Hey, let's go to the arcade today," Yohei cut in, telling the two what he and the gundan had been talking about while they were busy swinging their fists.

"Great idea, Yohei!" Sakuragi shouted enthusiastically.

"Hn." That was Rukawa, of course.

Sakuragi laughed. "There I'll show this stupid kitsune who is the best! Nyhahaha!!"

"…Aho."

……………………….

Rukawa put down the gun he was holding and turned away from the machine, stretching his arms. He yawned. Stifled laughter came from four figures standing behind him and his redheaded boyfriend. Rukawa turned to see how Sakuragi reacted to his loss this time. They had been playing for about two hours now and every time Sakuragi had lost, he had shouted that Rukawa had cheated and demanded another round. This time the boy was gaping at the game, still not believing that he had lost. His face looked hilarious. Rukawa had to grit his teeth to stop himself from laughing.

"Wh…wha…" The gun dropped from Sakuragi's hands as he continued to stare at the screen which coldly said: 'You lose.'

Rukawa picked up the gun and put it in its place. He glanced at Sakuragi, beginning to worry a little when the boy continued to be silent. Had he gone too far? Perhaps he should've let Sakuragi win or refuse to play. Sakuragi was a very proud person and hated losing. Perhaps losing for two hours had been too much. "Hanamichi," he said, considering if he should put his hand on the other's shoulder. Before he could make up his mind Sakuragi was brought back to life by a slap on his back.

"Hanamichi, you suck!" Takamiya exclaimed happily.

Sakuragi blinked. His head turned slowly to the shorter boy. "What did you say?"

"Eh…" Takamiya took a step back.

"He said you suck," Ookusu said helpfully. He and Noma were grinning madly, eagerly anticipating to see Sakuragi beat the crap out of Takamiya. They weren't disappointed. Sakuragi launched himself on the other boy, yelling and cursing. Poor Takamiya didn't stand a chance when the redhead vented his frustration on him.

Rukawa watched carefully. Sakuragi seemed to be himself again. Jealousy twisted his heart. So the gundan could do this to Sakuragi? They could somehow make him feel alright again in an instant. They hadn't even hesitated. It had been natural. While Rukawa was still arguing with himself whether or not to console his boyfriend -his own boyfriend!- the gundan had already done it.

"If he's acting weirdly just do this to him and he's fine again. He's an unbelievably simple guy," Yohei said from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Yohei scratching the back of his neck and grinning weakly. "Of course, the problem is _who_ is going to sacrifice himself. Normally we flip a coin to decide. Haha!"

__

They know him so much better than I do. How can I compare to them?

"But," Yohei said, looking thoughtfully at his raging friend. "You're different."

Rukawa looked at him. "What do you mean?" _He shouldn't know we're dating. Hanamichi asked me not to tell anyone. Could it be…that Hanamichi told him himself? This guy is his best friend after all._ Rukawa tried to ignore the jealousy that seeped over him. _If so, he could've let me know. Now I don't know how to act in front of this Mito guy._

"Around you he's different."

__

Does he know?…Or doesn't he?

Yohei looked up at him and smiled his usual smile. Rukawa had always felt like this delinquent knew much more that he let on. It was really unnerving. "Well, he does think of you as his rival. Perhaps that explains it. You know, during the time that he's been in the basketball club the only thing he has talked about is you."

Rukawa perked up. _Really? I didn't know that._

Yohei studied him closely. "It's always Rukawa this and Rukawa that. I was really surprised to hear that you two had become friends."

__

Oh really? Rukawa was a little sceptical about that.

"I always thought that you two would make great lovers."

Rukawa jerked. "Wh-what?" _He knows._

"Well, it's none of my business, of course. Even if I would advice you to give it a try you wouldn't listen to me, would you?"

__

He doesn't know. Rukawa sighed in relief. _It would've been a little awkward to be around him, knowing that he knows, and still pretend like nothing was going on. So Hanamichi didn't tell him. _Rukawa was so absorbed in his thoughts that he failed to notice a small smirk on Yohei's lips.

"Anyway, you make good friends as well. I hope you don't mind us hanging around." Yohei pointed at himself and the rest of the gundan. " It's sort of like a package deal. Become a friend of one of us and you have four others for free. It's the same for Haruko-san."

__

Haruko? Akagi Haruko? Rukawa turned to properly look at the other boy.

Yohei flashed him a big smile. "Ah yes, Haruko-san. She's the other person Hanamichi often refers to. The difference between you and her was that Hanamichi really liked her and on the other hand really hated you. Well, that's changed now, hasn't it? He doesn't hate you anymore. Ah! I better go stop him now before he kills Takamiya."

Rukawa watched him walk away. He narrowed his eyes. _Does he know? Was that a scheme to make me reveal my feelings? Or was it just luck that he stumbled on the subject I really hate. Akagi Haruko. So Hanamichi doesn't hate me anymore. What about Haruko? Does he still like her?_ Rukawa stared at his boyfriend. _No no. He said that he loves me. He can't like her anymore._ Rukawa watched how Sakuragi jumped to his feet and bashed Yohei's forehead. _Wait! He didn't say he loves me. I just assumed he did. But he let me kiss him. That's right. We kissed. I couldn't have misunderstood his feelings. He wouldn't let just anybody kiss him. And he let's me be near him and be his friend. Friend? Am I no different from Mito and the others? No no no. Hanamichi hasn't let _them_ kiss him. Has he?_ Rukawa realised he was beginning to panic and forced himself to calm down. _Get a grip now, Rukawa Kaede. Think rationally. You're not one to go hysterical. Breathe._ After awhile he was relaxed again. _Even if he doesn't love me, at least he likes me. All it takes is time. I can make him fall in love with me. And I _am_ different from them. Mito said so too. There's something special between me and Hanamichi. I can feel it. So can he. There's nothing to worry about._

"Oi! Kitsune!" Sakuragi's voice snapped Rukawa out of his thoughts. "I challenge you!" When Rukawa didn't respond in any way he marched to him, grabbed his arm and dragged him next to the game of his choice. "Are you trying to run away? Nyahaha! Of course, of course. The tensai is scary. I understand completely."

Rukawa blinked. Then he smirked, although on the inside he was smiling warmly. _Yes, this is it. This is what I want. When I'm near him there are no doubts. Only happiness. If he doesn't see things my way yet it doesn't matter. Some day he will._ "Do'aho. You're the one who's lost every game since now. You sure you don't want to give up?"

"Bastard! Who's gonna give up?! Come on! I'll crush you!"

…………………..

Rukawa was walking Sakuragi home. It was dark and stars had already appeared. They had stayed in the arcade for a long time. The thought made Rukawa smile. Before he had met Sakuragi he had spent all of his time honing his basketball skills. Sakuragi had really brought light and colours into his life. He glanced at the boy walking next to him. Sakuragi was ranting about how he was going to kick Rukawa's ass really soon, perhaps tomorrow or maybe next week.

"Haha! You'll have to live in fear, you stupid kitsune! You won't know when the tensai strikes!"

"Hmph! I'll have to see that before I believe it."

"You!!" Sakuragi was about to strangle him when Rukawa turned to look at him seriously.

"Hanamichi."

"Hm?" Sakuragi lowered his fists and stared at him, confused. "What is it?"

"Did you tell Mito that we're going out?"

"Huh?" Sakuragi's mouth fell open. Then he blushed. "N-no! I told you we should keep this a secret!"

"Ah."

"Wh-why are you asking?"

Rukawa looked at the stars with narrowed eyes. "He talked to me today, about weird stuff. I just thought you might've told him."

Sakuragi huffed. "Yohei, that stupid guy! I'm gonna kick his ass."

"I think he knows."

"Wha-?" Sakuragi stopped and stared at him, looking a little panicked. "Are we that obvious?"

Rukawa shook his head. "No. He's just a clever guy. And he knows you well." He hesitated before continuing. "He knows you better than I do. Your other friends do too. I…I wish I knew you better than anyone." He looked at the ground, embarrased by his uncharacteristic words. When Sakuragi continued to be silent he sneaked a peek at the redhead. What he saw almost made him sweatdrop. Sakuragi was holding his chin and squinting his eyes in a manner that told him that the boy was thinking very hard. Apparently he didn't understand what Rukawa had meant. _Che! I humiliated myself for nothing._

"Do…" Rukawa blinked and focused on Sakuragi. The boy looked at him hesitantly. "Do you mean…that you're…jealous? Of Yohei and the rest?"

"Uh…" Rukawa forced down the blush that was creeping up his cheeks. _Shit! He understood after all. Now that he said it out loud it sounds really stupid. Jealous of Mito? What was I thinking?_

Sakuragi burst out laughing his head off. "Hahaha!! You're so stupid, kitsune! I knew you were."

Rukawa looked at him grimly. "Look who's talking."

Sakuragi stopped laughing abruptly. "Why you…" Then he shrugged and grinned. "Well, whatever. I'll forgive you this time. Let's go, I'm sleepy." He grabbed Rukawa's arm and started walking towards his house again.

Rukawa followed him willingly. He savoured Sakuragi's touch on his arm. _I really was stupid. The Sakuragi gundan isn't a threat. I'll just look out for Akagi Haruko and Sendoh._ Suddenly Sakuragi stopped and Rukawa gave him a questioning look. The redhead had went to a vending machine and was inserting a coin in it. "What are you doing, do'aho?"

Sakuragi made a face at him and then threw a can in his direction. "I was just getting you this. You were right. I guess I did behave out of ordinary."

Rukawa caught the can. It took him a few moments before he understood the meaning behind Sakuragi's words. Then he smiled. _Are you saying that I know you already? No need to be jealous, isn't that what you're trying to tell me?_ He closed the distance between them and quickly kissed Sakuragi. "Thanks," he whispered in the redhead's ear and embraced him.

Sakuragi blushed and they stayed like that for a while. Then he pushed Rukawa away and started walking again. "What are you talking about, stupid kitsune?"

Rukawa suppressed his smile, hurried after his boyfriend and bonked him on the head. "Do'aho."

"Hey! Watch it! You don't want this tensai to get serious."

"Whatever."

"Hmph! See if I'm so nice next time!"

Rukawa opened the can and took a sip. The sweet flavour of strawberry juice filled his mouth. _I don't really like sweets but what the hell._ He took another sip. Sakuragi began blabbering again.

"The tensai likes chocolate very much. I've successfully stealed Takamiya's chocolates dozens of times. It's really easy. I'll show you some time. Oh! And I love the ramen they sell near my house. And then there's…"

Rukawa continued walking beside him, sipping the juice and listening to his endless chatter. A small smile stayed on his lips. _I'll get to know him slowly but surely. We have all the time in the world._


	3. Sakuragi's Birthday

Notes: Well, I'm as slow as ever. Hehe! Sorry about that. Anyway, this is the third chapter. I'm not too sure about this. I hope it's good enough. I suddenly got an urge to write and I just went with the flow. The nice people who have reviewed, thank you veeeery much for your kind words! And if there are those who have read but not reviewed, thank you as well. I hope you've enjoyed my story. I hope all of you will enjoy _this_ chapter! See ya! (By the way, Yuji _is_ Ookusu's first name, isn't it? If it isn't then I'm sorry for my mistake.)

Chapter 3 - Sakuragi's Birthday

Rukawa stared intensely at the blackboard. His eyes were squinted to narrow slits, his brows furrowed and his lips twisted in a thoughtful manner. Every inch of him screamed concentration. Every now and then he bowed his head and scribbled something in his notebook.

His teacher found this extremely distracting. He kept glancing at the dark-haired boy and a huge grin was beginning to form on his lips. Rukawa Kaede was actually paying attention. On his class! Boy, was he going to brag in the teacher's lounge! Chuckling to himself he finished what he was writing and turned to face the students. He was just in time to see Rukawa bending down and starting to move his pencil. The teacher couldn't hold back his grin anymore. What a victory for him! Perhaps the principal will finally acknowledge his talents and give him the raise he has been begging for for years.

"Rukawa-kun, what is the answer to this?" the teacher asked, tapping the formula he had written on the board. Rukawa didn't lift his head but kept writing. "Rukawa-kun." Several students turned to look at Rukawa and were shocked to see him awake. Awake, yes, but still not answering. The smug look on the teacher's face stumbled a little. "Rukawa-kun, are you listening?"

Rukawa stopped writing. He frowned at his notebook. Shaking his head he reached for an eraser on his desk and then started scribbling again with a new vigor.

"Rukawa-kun." The teacher had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling. He hesitated for quite a while before walking to Rukawa's desk. The boy made no sign of noticing him. "Rukawa-kun." No answer. The teacher tapped his shoulder. "Rukawa-kun."

Before anyone could realise what was going on Rukawa's fist had connected with the teacher's jaw. The poor man took a few hasty steps backwards to maintain his balance. Rukawa went back to writing. "Don't disturb me," he said coldly.

The teacher was fuming. Carefully he rubbed his sore jaw. "Rukawa Kaede!" he screeched. "Go to the principal's office right now!" He hovered above the sitting boy, thrusting his fist close to the boy's nose.

Rukawa got up. He stared at the teacher, expressionless. "I _said_, _don't disturb me_." Then he swung his fist, knocking the teacher out cold. Mumbling about stupid old men he sat back down and resumed his scribbling.

………………………

Rukawa walked down the corridor and looked down at his notebook. He was not happy with what he saw there. _What's this? Movies, dinner, a walk. How lame. And how should I ask him out? I never ask him, we just go and hang out._ He stared at what he had written. Then he let out a frustrated sigh and tore the notebook to pieces. _Fuck this. Why would I have to plan a date? I'll just wing it. That's what I always do._ He smirked, causing all the female students nearby to squeal in delight. He ignored the 'god, he's hot!' and 'mm…sexy' comments around him and just kept walking, hands shoved in his pockets. _I've never failed before. Why should I fail now? Sure it's his birthday but really, it's just an ordinary date._

"Did you see that?" a girl shrieked to her friend. "He smiled!"

"Yeah! He's so handsome! That smile send shivers down my spine." The girl's friend looked at Rukawa with shiny eyes.

"I've never seen him smile before!"

"That was beautiful!"

"He has such a nice smile!"

The air was thick with admiration and adoration. The girls swooned over Rukawa's tall frame. One could practically see the hearts flowing around. But this merry scene was crudely interrupted.

"Oi! Kitsune! What's with the ugly face? You trying to start a fight?" Sakuragi stomped towards Rukawa, accompanied with his boisterous laugh and his faithful friends.

Rukawa turned to look at the redhead and had to fight down the smile that was starting to twitch his lips. The boy was laughing with his mouth wide open and his eyes were in merry slits. "Do'aho."

"You! You really are trying to start a fight. Fine! Let's go somewhere where the tensai can kick your sorry ass in peace." Sakuragi had by now reached the raven-haired boy and shook his fists in front of his face.

"Ah, Rukawa," Yohei cut in. "We were looking for you."

Rukawa raised an eyebrow. They were both ignoring the raving "tensai".

"You know it's Hanamichi's birthday today?"

Rukawa nodded. _Of course I know it's his birthday. I looked it up a long time ago. What is this guy getting at?_

"Well, I hope you have a lot of money with you. It's a tradition that every time any of us has a birthday that person will decide what we'll do for that one day. And when it's Hanamichi it's always expensive. Food, food, food and then some games and movies."

What?! Does he mean that they are coming too? I'm not going to get to spend this day with Hana alone? Rukawa felt like grinding his teeth and growling. He had never thought much of the so called special days and hadn't ever bothered to spend them in any way. They were just regular days for him. But now, after hearing what Yohei said, he started to feel differently. _Damn it! I want to be alone with him._

"And presents, Yohei! Don't forget the presents! At least one from each of you," Sakuragi had stopped his antics for awhile to attribute to the conversation. "Yuji! Last year I didn't get anything from you. So this year you're going to have to make up for it. You even promised you would."

The blonde looked troubled. "You still remember that, Hanamichi?"

"Of course. I'm the tensai. Nyahahaha!" Sakuragi put his hands on his hips and threw his head back, laughing loudly.

"You really had to ask?" Noma asked the blonde, amused.

"Eheh." Ookusu scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly.

Rukawa watched Sakuragi with narrowed eyes. _He's okay with this? He doesn't mind spending…no, he _wants_ to spend his birthday with his friends and not with me._ Rukawa gritted his teeth and his body tensed. He didn't notice how Sakuragi stopped laughing and looked at him curiously and a little worriedly.

"Oi! Kitsune!" Rukawa was woken from his unhappy musings by a painful slap on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Sakuragi standing in front of him, peering at him from under his red locks. "You got a stomach ache or something? You look like shit."

Takamiya, Ookusu and Noma stuck their heads close to the raven-haired boy and squinted their eyes. Then they fell back with a disappointed sigh. "What are you talking about, Hanamichi?" Ookusu asked.

"He looks the same as he always does," Noma added.

"Argh! I wanted to see him 'look like shit'," Takamiya wailed.

Yohei looked at the two basketball players. Then he looked away, a small smile playing on his lips.

Rukawa's azure eyes regarded the redhead in front of him. He noticed the almost invisible concern that lurked in the shadows of the brown orbs and felt all his discomfort and insecurity melting away. _Ah, hell. It's his birthday. Let him decide what to do. There are other days we can spend together._ "Do'aho," he shrugged and turned away, starting to walk towards his classroom.

"You bastard!" Sakuragi was about to stomp after Rukawa when the boy glanced over his shoulder. He immediately took a defensive posture. "What? You got something to say?"

Rukawa cocked an eyebrow. Then he shrugged again. "Do'aho. Hurry up. You're late for class." With that he walked away.

…………………….

Rukawa watched Sakuragi wave goodbye to Yohei. The sun was setting. Sakuragi's hair looked like fire. The boy was grinning happily, his other hand carrying all the gifts he had received and the other frantically waving. He seemed to be radiating mirth. Rukawa sighed. It had been an exhausting yet, as he grudgingly admitted, a relatevily fun day. Sakuragi had been at his best and everyone had been in a good mood, even after all their money had been spent. This was the first time Rukawa had actually enjoyed the company of Sakuragi's friends. Previously he had barely registered that they were around but tonight he had finally begun to understand why Sakuragi liked these guys so much. They were pretty fun to be with and surprisingly dependable.

_Still_, Rukawa mused as he gazed admiringly at his giddy boyfriend, _I want to be alone with him for a moment. I can't do that if they're around._

"See you at school, Yohei! Don't forget to bring that dvd you promised!" Sakuragi shouted. There was no reason to shout really, since Yohei was only a few steps away from them but then again, Sakuragi never needed a reason to do things. Such boring things were for normal human beings.

"I won't. After all, I don't care that I haven't had the chance to watch it either and that I have waited for it to arrive for two weeks now. I wouldn't want to deprive you of your fun, Hanamichi," Yohei answered in a normal tone. Amusement glinted in his eyes.

"Ahah! Yohei, you're such a good friend!" Sakuragi said, "You properly appreciate the tensai."

"Heh. Bye, Hanamichi! Don't ditch school tomorrow."

"Hmph! When has the tensai ever ditched school?"

"Last week. You said that you were so late already that it didn't matter whether or not you come at all and spent the day in the arcade until it was time for basketball practice." Yohei could barely hide his grin when Sakuragi begun to scratch his head, looking puzzled.

"No, that isn't true. I can't remember anything like that. You must be confusing me with someone else." The pure honesty that shone from his eyes finally cracked Yohei's mask. He chuckled.

"Yeah, that must be it. Well, good night, Hanamichi." He looked up and motioned Rukawa to come closer as Sakuragi begun to skip down the street.

Rukawa approached Yohei warily, hands shoved deep in his pockets and dragging his feet. He looked down at the other boy impassively.

Yohei smiled. "It wasn't that bad today, was it? And it's still early." He winked and disappeared into his house.

Rukawa blinked. Then he cursed under his breath. _Damn it! He definitely knows. He's too smart for his own good. And what does he mean by 'it's still early'?_ Possibilities of what Yohei could've meant flowed through his mind and he felt his cheeks start growing hot. He cursed again.

"Kitsune! Come along already or I'll leave you here!"

Rukawa turned to see Sakuragi a short distance away, staring curiously at him. "Do'aho," he muttered. He had spoken so quietly that there was no way Sakuragi could've heard it. Apparently the redhead somehow managed to decipher what he had said because he retorted without delay.

"You bastard! Don't call me that on my birthday!"

_Perhaps he can read my lips_, Rukawa thought as he fell into step with Sakuragi. They walked ahead, Sakuragi chattering nonsense and Rukawa patiently listening. Rukawa felt relaxed and happy. But his moment of bliss was interrupted by a cheerful voice.

"Hanamichi! Rukawa!"

Rukawa groaned. He knew that voice. Slowly he turned around to confirm his fears. _Oh yes. It's him._

Sendoh Akira beamed at them. He was holding a basketball and wearing shorts and a sleevless shirt. He looked good. He looked way too good. "Hello!"

Rukawa narrowed his eyes and didn't bother answering. But staying silent wasn't Sakuragi's way.

"Sendoh! What the hell are you doing here?" Although his words were harsh his tone was good-natured and he smiled at the slightly taller Ryonan player.

Sendoh laughed and pointed somewhere behind him. "I was playing with Koshino and Fukuda. There's a court there."

"Huh? There is?" Sakuragi looked confused. "That's funny. I live around here but I've never seen it."

"It's a new one," Sendoh explained. Then his gaze caught the bag Sakuragi was holding. "What's in there?"

"Hmm? Oh! It's my birthday today and the guys gave me a lot of good stuff." Sakuragi's smile was even wider than Sendoh's.

"Oh?! Your birthday? Well congratulations, Hanamichi!" Sendoh patted Hanamichi on the shoulder. Rukawa was ready to bite his spiky head off. "Hey, why don't you come play one-on-one with me? I'll let you win as a gift." Sendoh grinned.

"What?! Stupid! I don't need you to _let_ me win. The tensai can crush you easily anytime." Sakuragi dropped his bag and was ready to go to the court with Sendoh when a hand clasped his shoulder.

"Hanamichi," Rukawa said quietly. For a brief moment he looked the redhead straight in the eye and then he dropped his gaze. _Don't go with him. Come with me. Come with me._ He didn't want to see the expressions Sakuragi and Sendoh had. Suddenly the shoulder in his grasp relaxed.

"Oh yeah. Sorry, Sendoh. I can't today. My mom's waiting." Sakuragi picked up the bag and continued his journey home, dragging Rukawa with him. "Bye, Sendoh!"

"Ah! Bye!" Sendoh waved a little disappointedly.

Rukawa looked at Sendoh and had to fight the urge to make a rude sign. _That's right, you moron! You stay here and play with Koshino and Fukuda while I go and spend the evening with Hanamichi. That's how it should be._ He smirked inwarldy before turning his attention to Sakuragi.

They reached the Sakuragi household in a few minutes. Sakuragi opened the door, motioning Rukawa to follow him which the brunette did willingly albeit a bit shyly. He had never been into Sakuragi's house before. He looked around while taking off his shoes.

Hurried footsteps brought a middle-aged woman into their view. The woman smiled at them warmly. "I thought I heard you arrive. Welcome home, Hanamichi. And Rukawa-kun," she said pleasantly, turning to look at Rukawa, "Welcome! It's nice to finally meet you. Hanamichi has told me so much about you."

Rukawa stood up and bowed respectfully. He was always polite to his elders and this woman was Sakuragi's mother. It couldn't hurt to make a good impression. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you too, Sakuragi-san." He ignored his gaping boyfriend.

Sakuragi's mother smiled. "My my, you have such good manners, Rukawa-kun. Hanamichi, learn from him!" Sakuragi scoffed. His mother looked Rukawa up and down. "You basketball players sure are tall. You're about the same height as Hanamichi."

"I'm taller!" Sakuragi hollered but was again ignored.

"Hanamichi said a while ago that you're probably the handsomest guy in Kanagawa. I can easily see what he meant."

Rukawa glanced at Sakuragi. A warm feeling was spreading from his stomach. "Thank you." Sakuragi was sporting a very red face which made him look very cute in Rukawa's eyes.

"Try to be his friend even if he does something stupid. I'm so glad to see him surrounded with good friends."

"I will." _I will be more than a friend to him._

"Well then, come along. I have the cake prepared and I've made some cookies."

"Woohoo! Mom! You're the best!" Sakuragi sprinted to the kitchen. Rukawa wondered how the dimwit could have room in his stomach for anything anymore since he had been stuffing himself the whole day. The brunette stopped when Sakuragi came into his view. Then he shook his head and smiled to himself. Sakuragi was already munching a cookie and eyeing the cake gleefully. _There's no curing a do'aho, _Rukawa thought as he sat down.

The three of them had a fun evening. They ate and drank and played cards until the clock struck midnight. Then Sakuragi's mother stood up.

"I'll be heading for bed now. I won't disturb you anymore. You're staying for the night, aren't you, Rukawa-kun? Enjoy yourselves for the rest of the night and don't worry about tomorrow. I'll wake you up. Good night!"

"Good night!" Rukawa and Sakuragi said in unison. They watched her disappear from sight and then a door closed somewhere further in the house. They looked at each other. Sakuragi smiled. Rukawa couldn't help but smile back at him. He leaned closer and kissed the redhead softly.

"Happy birthday, Hanamichi," he whispered.

Sakuragi blushed furiously. "Thanks." He fidgeted and looked bothered about something but couldn't seem to muster the will to speak.

Rukawa raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong, Hanamichi?"

"Huh? Ah, uh…well…you see." Sakuragi cleared his throat. "I…hope you don't think that I didn't want to…hmm." Sakuragi looked very embarrassed. "You know…spend the day with you. Cause I did! It's just that…I wanted to be with them too and…I figured we could be alone afterwards. Like we are now. So…anyway--" He was cut off by a kiss.

Rukawa smiled, lips still against Sakuragi's. "Do'aho," he murmured.

"Damn you, kitsune! Here I am, almost ruining the tensai's image and all you can do is insult me. I'm going to--" He was once again cut off. This time the kiss was much interser, Rukawa's tongue coaxing him to open his mouth. "Stupid kitsune," he muttered before complying.

Rukawa smiled.


	4. Crisis

Notes: Hey! I was quicker this time, wasn't I? Perhaps it's because this is a rather short chapter. It's short because the next chapter is going to be about Hanamichi's reactions to the events in this one and I thought it would be better to keep the actions and consequences apart. Hmm, you have asked some questions so I will answer now to make things clear.

annedrew: Hanamichi's mother doesn't know yet. But she will pretty soon.

tensaidichan: It's funny that you asked. I had already started to write this chapter when I read your review. Rest assured, there is a reason behind Hana's behaviour. I hope the next chapter will explain everything. If it doesn't, ask again!

Annachan: The story so far has been told from Rukawa's POV so I've concentrated on his problems but Hana _does _have problems too. Next chapter will hopefully explain things to you as well. Also, Hana is a lot more difficult character for me than Rukawa so I don't write about him so often. It's so difficult to keep him IC, don't you think?

ZeroCool.0: Well, you didn't ask anything but I think I've seen your nick very often so a huge, massive, gigantic thank you is in order. :)

Lastly, if you think everything happens abruptly in this chapter you are right. But this is based on my experiences and I can tell you that it sure as hell _felt_ abrupt when it happened. Now, enjoy! And if you have any other questions I'll be happy to answer them.

Chapter 4 - Crisis

"Why don't you call me Kaede?" There it was. He had finally said it. Rukawa didn't look up from his food. He was afraid of what he might see. Sakuragi didn't like questions like this. But he just had to know. They had been together for three months now and Sakuragi had yet to call him by his first name. It…hurt. It made him feel like he was farther away from his boyfriend he had thought he was, that Sakuragi was somehow shunning Rukawa out of his life.

"Huh?" There was evident confusion in Sakuragi's voice.

"Why don't you call me Kaede?" Rukawa still kept his gaze at his pizza.

"Hmph! Does it matter what I call you, you stupid kitsune?" Now it was clear that Sakuragi was beginning to get uncomfortable.

Kitsune. It was always kitsune. Never Kaede and only rarely Rukawa. Rukawa gritted his teeth. Maybe it really didn't matter. Maybe he was just being a fool. In the first few weeks of dating Sakuragi he hadn't cared. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he hadn't even noticed what the other boy had called him. He had been in heaven. But now he noticed and he didn't like what he heard. At first his irritation over the whole name-thing had been subtle and easy to ignore. But as time went by the issue was starting to weigh on his mind. Why didn't Sakuragi ever call him by his first name? There had to be a reason. And as much as he hesitated to ask Sakuragi, he had firmly resolved that he would find the reason for the lack of intimacy in Sakuragi's speech. "…Yes. It matters." Now Rukawa shifted his gaze from his pizza to Sakuragi and almost winced. It was as he had feared. Sakuragi really hated being serious.

Sakuragi looked at Rukawa, clearly disturbed. He kept mushing his sleeve between his fingers, a sure sign that he was not okay with the subject. "Why?"

_Why? Because I want to hear you say my name. I want to know if you think we're close to each other or not. Damn it! Doesn't it go without saying that you call your boyfriend by his first name?! _"It just does. Isn't that reason enough for you?" _Shit! That didn't come out the way it was supposed to._

Sakuragi lowered his head so that Rukawa couldn't see his face. The redhead shifted uneasily in his chair. "I…I don't think it matters that much. It's the same whatever I call you."

Rukawa looked at the bowed head in front of him and frowned. _If he really thinks that way then…Then what? Should I make an issue out of this? Or should I just let it go? But it really bothers me. But then again, I don't want to annoy him. Shit, shit, shit! What do people normally do in this kind of situation? Is this matter important enough to start arguing? We've never argued before._ Rukawa stopped his train of thought and blinked. Then he almost scoffed. _Of course __we have _argued_. But we haven't argued about anything that concerns our relationship. Ugh, should I press this matter or shouldn't I?_ Rukawa's thoughts were in a mess. He couldn't decide what to say next.

Sakuragi had started fidgeting and glancing around, obviously trying to find a way out of the whole situation. When he jumped up, shouting loudly, it didn't really surprise Rukawa. "Ah! Noma! Fancy seeing you here! What the hell are you doing?" Sakuragi ran towards his friend who had just emerged from the diner's door, as fast as he could.

Rukawa stayed where he was. He rested his head against his hands and stared at the table. _Fine. I'll let it go. Everything's so perfect, I don't want to disturb things between us._ Rukawa stood up determinately. He refused to admit that if something bothered him this much then everything was _not_ perfect. Dating was too new for him, he didn't know how to act. So he did what he did best, tried to ignore the whole thing.

………………………………

Two weeks since the name ordeal. Two weeks of denial. Every time Rukawa heard the word 'kitsune' something banged at the door of his conciousness. But he refused to acknowledge it. Sakuragi seemed to have forgotten their conversation. It only agitated Rukawa more. But still he said nothing. After the incident he had been careful not to vex Sakuragi in any way. He hadn't been very happy. To add to his discomfort he had encountered a new problem. Sakuragi seemed to be unwilling to go beyond kisses and hugs. Rukawa had taken it slow, he had been considerate and stopped when Sakuragi had asked, thinking that the redhead was just shy. But just how long was Sakuragi planning on being shy and pushing him away? They were old enough, weren't they? They knew each other well enough, didn't they? And Sakuragi _knew_ Rukawa loved him. So what was the problem?

Rukawa walked right behind Sakuragi, letting his gaze wander over the broad shoulders and strong legs, stopping briefly at the redhead's shapely behind. They were heading to Rukawa's house to spend some time alone after exhausting basketball practice.

Alone. Lately that word had caused Rukawa minor stress. Being alone with Sakuragi in a small room greatly added to his sexual frustration. He was beginning to think that he was a lewd pervert who thought about nothing but ways to get into Sakuragi's pants and who didn't give a rat's ass what the dimwit had to say about it. He couldn't help it. Thoughts of sex just filled his mind and he was preoccupied with the subject almost from morning till night. Only basketball managed to halt his dirty mind. But then there were the showers after practice…It was quite embarrassing really.

They reached Rukawa's house and the raven-haired boy unlocked the door. His parents were still at work. Sakuragi hopped up the stairs and vanished into Rukawa's room before he even managed to take his shoes off. Sighing he kicked them into a corner and climbed the stairs after the energetic redhead. Sakuragi was sitting on his bed, reading a magazine. To Rukawa's dismay his heart suddenly started to beat way too fast. He turned around and cleared his throat. "I'm going to get myself a glass of juice. You want some?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Rukawa went downstairs to get the juice and then came back to Sakuragi, holding out a glass full of orange juice which the other boy readily accepted. He watched out of the corner of his eyes how luscious lips pressed against the glass and how a pink tongue licked them only a moment later. He gulped.

"This is good," Sakuragi commented, smiling happily at Rukawa.

Rukawa merely nodded, hastily turning his eyes away from Sakuragi and concentrating on drinking. He sipped the juice slowly, wanting to have something else to do besides watching his boyfriend. Sitting on his bed. Licking his lips. Rukawa closed his eyes. Already he felt heat spreading through his veins. Sakuragi wasn't making it any easier either, emitting satisfied sighs and moans. _God damn that do'aho! Doesn't he know what he's doing to me? Does a normal person sound like that when he drinks? No. Could it be that he's doing it on purpose? That he's tempting me? But he's the one who always wants us to stop. So why would he do that? Unless he's tormenting me. It would be just like him. What else has he done for the whole time we've known each other if not tormented me? And everybody else for that matter. I should show him that if he continues to do that he will have to face the consequences. Yeah, that's what I should do._ Rukawa slammed the glass down on his table and turned to face Sakuragi. The redhead grinned at him.

"This is really good, kitsune. Could I have some more?"

Kitsune. Hearing that word suddenly snapped something in Rukawa's mind. He scowled. Ignoring Sakuragi's surprised look he walked next to him and pushed him down, bringing their lips together for a hungry kiss. Sakuragi squirmed and tried to pry him off but he only tightened his grip on Sakuragi and shoved his tongue into Sakuragi's mouth. Finally Sakuragi gave in and responded to the kiss. But Rukawa was not satisfied. He wanted more, he had wanted it for so long and hearing that hateful nickname was all he needed to throw his restraints to the wind and let his passion take over his senses.

When Rukawa's hand tugged Sakuragi's belt, the redhead stilled. He quivered as Rukawa's hand sneaked into his denims. Then he started to seriously push Rukawa away. "Hey! Stop!" he gasped as soon as Rukawa lifted his head but the other wouldn't listen. Rukawa bent down to devour Sakuragi's tanned neck with hot lips. "Stop!" Sakuragi was beginning to panic. He trashed around to get Rukawa off of him but all his efforts were in vain. Rukawa forced him to open his legs. "Stop!" Sakuragi screamed.

Stop! Stop! Rukawa's brain demanded. But his lower parts had another idea and he was to engrossed with his desires to listen to his head. So he continued his assault, not heeding Sakuragi's urgent pleas. He pushed Sakuragi's shirt up. The moment he lifted his head a little to get a better view, a painful punch hit his jaw and sent him hurling to the floor. "Ow." He sat up, rubbing his sore jaw and looked up. He froze. Sakuragi was looking down at him, anger and hurt in the brown orbs. Rukawa felt something cold brush against his heart.

"I told you to stop, you jerk!" Sakuragi spat. For a moment longer he just stood there, staring at Rukawa, and then he ran out of the room.

Rukawa heard the front door bang shut. He swallowed with difficulty. The scene ran through his head over and over again and he cursed himself for being so stupid. He felt so guilty he was sure he was going to vomit. He dragged himself next to the bed, leaned his back on it and dropped his head into his hands. _Now what?_


	5. Too Proud, Too Afraid

Notes: Thank you for your reviews and I'm sorry it took so long again. In this chapter it's mainly Hanamichi's POV but in the next one I'll probably go back to Rukawa. Hanamichi is such a difficult character for me, it drives me crazy. Hmm…what else? Oh yeah, _ZeroCool.0_ will find out that it's not just shyness that holds Hanamichi back. (That is, if she reads this. Hehe...) Once again, thanks for your reviews and I hope you'll like this chapter!

Chapter 5 - Too Proud, Too Afraid

Sakuragi stumbled out of Rukawa's house and into the street. He started running away, holding his jacket in his other hand and his shoes in the other. He didn't stop to think where he was going, all he wanted right now was to get away from the shameful scene he had been forced to take part in. His cheeks were burning with anger and embarrassement, his brows were furrowed and the look in his eyes was not pleasant.

It was late at night so the streets were nearly empty which suited Sakuragi very well. He saw people in a blur as he passed them but he didn't really register they were there. His mind was in a chaos. _Damn that bastard! Can't he even understand what a 'no' means?_ Gritting his teeth, Sakuragi sped down the street. His feet barely touched the ground. _Damn that bastard! Damn him!_ His heart was pounding and his blood felt hot. He hadn't been this angry in a long time.

Suddenly Sakuragi stepped on a rock. He cried when his ankle twisted and fell down, losing his grip on his clothes. The jacket dropped to his side and the shoes went flying, landing on the street further away. Sakuragi's hands made contact with the asphalt as he tried to prevent further damages. He grimaced when he felt his skin tear open and sand get into the wounds.

"Shit!" Sakuragi went to his knees and twisted his head around to see what had happened to his foot but he couldn't see anything, since a once white but now torn and dirty sock covered the injured area. Huffing, he sat down, took off his sock and stared at his ankle which by now had started to swell, the redness slowly changing into purple. "Fuck! This is all his fault!" _I will not forgive him!_

In the Rukawa recidence

Rukawa clutched his hair, his knuckles turning white and nails digging into his flesh. There was a fevered look in his eyes as he stared at the floor between his legs. He hadn't moved for a long while. He had thought of going after Sakuragi but eventually decided against it. It would've been too much for him right now. Too big of a blow to his pride to go and apologize. Pride was the backbone of Rukawa's personality. If he lost that, what would be left of him? _Nothing but a snivelling, pathetic lump of meat, _he thought, gritting his teeth. He glared at the wooden floor, desperately trying to defend himself against his accusing heart.

Pride was precious to him, it was something he couldn't live without. He had never gone against it and couldn't imagine doing so. Sakuragi would just have to understand. He was sorry he had forced Sakuragi but he would never apologize. Sakuragi had to know that. He had to know that and understand and forgive. That was what he was supposed to do.

Rukawa had never needed words in his relationships before. True, he had told Sakuragi he loved him but things would've turned out just fine even if he hadn't. He was sure of that. Just like things would work out this time. Words were unnecessary. Rukawa didn't need them and neither did Sakuragi. Right?

Rukawa unclenched his fists, leaned back and shifted his gaze to the ceiling. So he had forced Sakuragi a little. Big deal. It was nothing compared to the fact that Sakuragi refused to call him by his name. That's right. He wasn't the only culprit here. Sakuragi had done his fair share in ruining their relationship. Rukawa laughed dryly. _That was one short-lived relationship._

Rukawa stilled, his eyes widening. Had he really thought that just now? That their relationship was over? Rukawa's baffled look turned into a fierce glare. He could've kicked himself for such cowardly thoughts. After going through such trouble to get Sakuragi he was not going to give up so easily. He couldn't. He liked Sakuragi far too much for that. He would find a way to sort things out without having to lose his dignity. _Okay, so how do I do it?_ Rukawa continued stare at the ceiling while the sky darkened and the stars came out.

Back to Sakuragi

Sakuragi limped down the street, cursing and seething under his breath. He had put his jacket and shoes on, ignoring the swelling ankle and forgetting the sock he had taken off. A dark scowl had settled on his features as he continued to accuse Rukawa in his head. _I knew he was a bastard, I knew it from the start. He managed to deceive me for a while, the sly kitsune that he is, but now he showed his true colours and I won't be fooled again. Argh, he's a pervert and a molester! Idiot. Bastard. I hate him!_ Sakuragi muttered quietly to himself.

"Hanamichi!"

Sakuragi looked up, suddenly hoping it was Rukawa, coming to apologize. He whipped around to look at the person walking toward him. His shoulders slumped. It was not Rukawa.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going to Rukawa's place. And why do you look like that?" Yohei asked as he reached his friend. His eyes quickly scanned Sakuragi, taking note of the angry look and the dirty clothes. "Were you in a fight?"

"It was that shit head!" Sakuragi blurted out, his anger gaining in ferocity now that he had someone to talk to.

"Who?" Yohei noticed the difficulty Sakuragi had standing straight and knew immediately that the redhead had been hurt. Yohei had seen enough wounds to see the signs.

"Rukawa! It was that moron kitsune! I won't forgive him!" Sakuragi shook his fist at the night sky, looking ready to kill someone.

Yohei thought it was best to get Sakuragi indoors before he started rampaging. It was for the safety of innocent passers-by. Also, Sakuragi needed some patching up if Yohei wasn't mistaken. And he rarely was. "Okay, you can tell me all about once we get to my house. It's cold out here and I'm freezing. Come on, let's go."

They walked the short distance to Yohei's house and went straight into Yohei's room. There Sakuragi plopped onto the bed and his friend took a seat near the desk. "Alright, Hanamichi. Tell me," Yohei said, leaning back in his chair and looking at the angry face in front of him.

Sakuragi took a deep breath. Then he started to pour his heart out to the one friend he knew would do his best to help him. There had been other occations, serious and not so serious, when he had turned to Yohei and always he had received advice and encouragement. He trusted Yohei like no one else. "It all started when Rukawa demanded me to call him Kaede. After that he became weird, started staring at me and spacing out…"

Yohei listened to Sakuragi's story intently, although he knew what was going to happen. He had been expecting something like this for a while now, seeing how Rukawa had acted for the last few weeks. He couldn't really blame Rukawa for losing his temper but he wished the boy had used some other method. Yohei sighed. The relationship between his best friend and the cold brunette was no secret to him and had never been. He had seen it coming a mile away. It had been inevitable that these two got together. If Yohei had believed in destiny he would've said that Rukawa and Sakuragi were meant for each other. But their personalities clashed and difficulties were sure to arise and Yohei had known the name issue would cause the first real fight between them. They hadn't cleared things up when they should've and this was the result their negligence.

"And then I ran out of there and I twisted my ankle and it's all his fault!" Sakuragi finished his story and looked up at Yohei.

"Hmm…" Yohei leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, resting his chin on his upturned hands. He wondered what he should do, say that Rukawa was a jerk like Sakuragi wished him to or tell what he really thought of the situation. Finally he decided on the latter, knowing it would be for the best in the end. "Hanamichi, why don't you ever call him Kaede?"

Sakuragi looked taken aback by his words. "What?"

"Why don't you ever call him Kaede?"

Sakuragi gave him a dark look. "Are you on his side, Yohei? Are you blaming _me_ for this?"

"It's not that. But you calling him anything but Kaede is the root of this problem, isn't it? That's where it all began, him asking you why you refused to call him by his first name."

"Hmph!" Sakuragi folded his arms and looked irritated. "Why does it matter what I call him? _You_ don't call him by his first name either! Why isn't he bugging _you_ about it?"

"Because I'm not his boyfriend."

Yohei's simple statement caused Sakuragi to fall silent and stare at him. The redhead was startled although he remembered Rukawa asking if he had told Yohei about them and telling him that Yohei probably knew. "H-how did you know?" he asked, bewildered.

Yohei laughed. "It was really obvious, Hanamichi. There was no way I would've missed it."

Sakuragi's eyes widened. "Really? So everyone knows?"

"Well, I guess I should've said that's it's obvious to anyone who's looking," Yohei answered, a small smile still playing on his lips. "And you just told me that he attacked you and tried to rape you. That was a big hint too."

"Oh yeah…" Sakuragi had the decency to look sheepish.

"But don't change the subject. Why don't you call him Kaede? Is it because you're afraid people will find out about you two?"

Sakuragi stared at him for a while longer, refusing to answer but then his body slumped dejectedly. "No, it's not that," he said quietly which was so uncharacteristic of him that Yohei was slightly alarmed. "It's not that."

Yohei eyed him carefully. Usually Sakuragi wasn't very hard to figure out but sometimes even Yohei couldn't read his behaviour. This was one of those moments. Yohei squinted his eyes and decided to get to the bottom of this through a different route. "Do you love him?"

"Huh?" Sakuragi looked up, face burning crimson.

Yohei smiled a little. "Do you love Rukawa?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sakuragi demanded to know, his face turning even darker shade of red, and bowed his head so that his face couldn't be seen.

"Well, do you?" Yohei persisted.

"It's got nothing to do with this. It doesn't matter…Hey! Are you forgetting why I'm here? He attacked me, forced me…He's a bastard!" Sakuragi tried to change the subject. And then suddenly Yohei realized what the problem was. His eyes widened and he looked at the bent red head disbelievingly. Then he started to snicker. Sakuragi's head shot up. "What are you laughing at?! This is a serious matter!"

"I know, I know. He was wrong to do what he did. But…" Yohei stood up and pointed at Sakuragi. "You're really funny, tensai."

"What?" Sakuragi was too confused to be angry.

Yohei chuckled and regarded Sakuragi with merry eyes for a short while longer until he finally gave in to the baffled look on Sakuragi's face. "You are afraid."

"Huh? What?"

"You're afraid and shy and you don't want to admit that you're in love with him."

Sakuragi blushed again and then leaped at Yohei. "I'm not! The tensai is not afraid of anything!"

"Yes he is," Yohei said calmly, completely ignoring the fact that Sakuragi was shaking him violently. "He is afraid. He's afraid that he will lose himself. He's afraid to show Rukawa his inner self because he thinks that Rukawa might not like what he sees. And he's afraid to kiss Rukawa because he doesn't really know how to and is sure Rukawa will scorn him if he ever finds out. And because he is afraid he makes mistakes."

Sakuragi stopped shaking Yohei and his grip on the boy's shirt loosened.

"He's afraid but he shouldn't be. He should go to Rukawa and talk to him, tell him how he feels and call him Kaede while at it."

Sakuragi's hands fell completely off of Yohei.

Yohei smiled and patted the messy red locks. "That's what a real tensai would do. Are you a real tensai, Hanamichi?" Brown eyes looked at him, confused at first but then fierce.

"Of course I am. How many times do I have to tell you, Yohei?"

"Then you'll go?"

"I'll go. But I'm not forgiving the bastard for what he did."

Yohei shrugged. He was not going to meddle in their business any more than he already had. It would be up to Rukawa from now on. Yohei held Sakuragi back long enough to tend to his twisted ankle and then he saw him off. "Remember! You're a tensai but you made a mistake. Talk things through and don't be too stubborn. If you want things to work out between you and him you're going to have to work for it," he said as Sakuragi was already walking out of the house.

"The tensai knows all this already. You don't have to tell me again, Yohei!" Sakuragi turned at the gate and gave the shorter boy a wave. He was truly grateful for Yohei's help.

Yohei waved back. He knew.

Sakuragi smiled to himself as he stepped carefully, avoiding any unnecessary moves that could hurt his ankle. _Now…I'll go to him and tell him._ His smile faded and he frowned. Fear twisted his stomach. _I wonder how it'll go._


	6. First Fight Resolved

Notes: Was I quicker than usual? I think I was. Don't know why though. Not that it matters… Anyway, here's the sixth part. Thank you for the reviews for the previous one. Always happy to see new reviewers! About Yohei, if people would have any sense at all they would be all over him. I mean, he's this perfect guy; wise, kind, funny, loyal, good-looking… He's the perfect choice for a boyfriend. How can Haruko be so blind? It bothers me, really it does. Rukawa would never fit her. Don't you agree? (Other thing that bothers me is that on TV people never say 'bye' when they finish a phone call. Why is it so? I can't understand… )

Chapter 6 - First Fight Resolved

Rukawa was still sitting on the floor when he heard the doorbell ring. He grunted but didn't move. He wished that whoever it was at the door would go away and leave him to his thoughts. He hadn't decided what to say to Sakuragi yet and a sinking feeling was beginning to settle in his stomach. He tried to ignore it but it was getting more and more difficult as minutes flew by.

The doorbell rang again. Rukawa kicked his right leg in the direction of the door, willing the pesterer to disappear. He listened for awhile, and when everything went quiet he slumped back, satisfied. But before he could relax his cell phone started vibrating and soon a disgustingly happy melody filled his ears. Sakuragi had changed the settings of his phone, he would never have chosen a tune like that.

Rukawa reached for the phone and was about to turn it off when he caught sight of the caller's identity. 'Hanamichi', flashed on the screen. Rukawa's hands began shaking. He swallowed nervously and stared at the phone, afraid to answer. His finger hovered above the 'yes' button. Suddenly the phone went silent. Rukawa panicked. _Why didn't I answer it right away? Damn it!_ He was about to call Sakuragi back when the phone started to vibrate again. Before the ringing could even start, he had the phone on his ear. "Hanamichi?" he asked, a little short of breath.

"Open the door", Sakuragi's voice demanded. He sounded annoyed.

"Huh? You're at the door?"

"Why else would I want you to open it? Come down and open this stupid door already."

"Wait a second." Rukawa sprang to his feet and threw the phone on the bed. Then he stormed down the stairs. _What am I going to do? What am I going to say?_ His stomach twisted and he grimaced a bit at the unfamiliar feeling. He reached the front door and swung it open, just barely missing Sakuragi's head.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Sakuragi scowled.

Rukawa ignored his comment. "Hanamichi…You…" He bit his lip. _Really, what should I say?_ _Should I apologize after all?_ He stared at the redhead. Now that he was here, right in front of Rukawa, apologizing didn't seem such a bad idea. He opened his mouth but nothing came out._ Shit! I still can't._ Sakuragi was looking at him, waiting. When Rukawa remained silent he grimaced.

"Look, let me in. I don't want to talk here." He pushed past Rukawa, kicked his shoes away and started climbing the stairs.

Rukawa closed the door, cursing under his breath. _I can't say it. I just can't. He will have to understand. But will he?_ He gritted his teeth and followed the redhead but stopped mid-step when he noticed the other limping. "Hanamichi, what happened to your leg?"

"It's nothing." Sakuragi continued climbing and upon reaching the end of the stairs disappeared from Rukawa's sight.

Worry marred Rukawa's forehead as he rushed after Sakuragi. _Did he get in a fight? Or did he trip or something? Is it my fault?_ He swallowed. Guilt seeped through him once again, twisting his stomach and making his chest ache. Suddenly he didn't want to enter his room where he knew the other was waiting. He didn't want to face Sakuragi. He stopped with his hand on the door knob. His breath grew heavier and quicker. He swallowed again and stepped into the room.

Sakuragi was sitting by the desk, looking down and chewing his lower lip. He didn't look up when Rukawa came in, but started to fidget. Rukawa walked pass him and sat down on the bed. Then they both fell silent. Neither made the slightest move and only the occational sounds of their troubled breathing disturbed the heavy silence that hang over them.

Rukawa's whole body was tense and stiff. He didn't know what to do. He was more nervous than he had ever been. The knowledge of his error and the weight of his guilt, but also his never-ending pride restrained him from speaking. He could feel his heart racing and when he looked down he saw his shirt vibrate from the force of the heartbeats. A dull humming began to echo in his head. He discreetly sneaked a peek at Sakuragi and saw the redhead fidgeting and fingering the black fabric of his shirt. _I have to say something. Anything to break this awkard silence._

"So..."

"I'm sorry", Sakuragi blurted out as fast as he could. He didn't look at Rukawa but kept his stare at the floor.

"What?" Rukawa stammered incredulously. Had he heard correctly? Had Sakuragi just said he was sorry?

"I'm sorry", Sakuragi repeated. His mouth had settled into a thin line.

Rukawa stared at him. _What the hell? I'm the one who wronged him yet he is apologizing to me? What does he mean by this?_ "I don't understand", he said finally.

This made Sakuragi look up. His brown eyes were burning, but for what reason, Rukawa couldn't tell. "Why you ungrateful bastard!" He jumped up, ignoring his sprained ankle and made a dash at the door. But Rukawa was not about to let him go. He grabbed Sakuragi's wrist and pulled him back.

"Wait!"

Sakuragi shot a dark look at the hand gripping his wrist and Rukawa quickly let go. But he stepped between the door and Sakuragi and looked straight at the other boy. "Why are you apologizing? You haven't done anything wrong. Aren't I the one who should say I'm sorry?"

"Yes! You are! So why aren't you saying anything?" Sakuragi nearly screamed, his frustration and anger leaking out.

"I…"

Sakuragi snorted. Hurt was evident in his eyes know, and it pained Rukawa to know he was the cause of that. "What? You still think you're better than me? Can't even admit you were wrong? You tried to rape me!"

"I wasn't going to rape you…"

"Oh yeah? It sure as hell looked like you were going to! I came here when it should've been you running after _me_ and I was going to tell you…" His voice faded and he closed his eyes tightly, biting his lip.

"Tell me what?" Rukawa asked softly. He stepped coser to Sakuragi. He was feeling calmer now now that words had been exchanged and he wanted to hold Sakuragi close and drive away whatever it was that made the redhead feel so down. _If it's me, what I did, then…_

"Nothing."

"It has to be something." Sakuragi remained silent. Rukawa stepped even closer, he could've touched Sakuragi now but he kept his hands to himself. "What are you sorry for?"

Sakuragi seemed to argue with himself. Rukawa suddenly understood that apologizing couldn't be easy for Sakuragi either. A guy who repeatedly called himself a tensai and boasted and rambled about his superiority was bound to find it hard. Rukawa was about to take back his question when Sakuragi finally spoke.

"I'm sorry that I never called you Kaede."

Rukawa blinked.

"And that I…always push you away."

A painful lump rose to Rukawa's throat. He tried to swallow it but in vain. _He's making an effort to fix our relationship. He wants us to continue. He really cares about me._ Rukawa's chest felt like it was about to burst open. _Oh god…_ He couldn't stop from shaking. Love required sacrifices. His pride would be the first one to go.

"I'm sorry."

Sakuragi gasped in shock and then fell silent. Rukawa could feel his eyes on him but he couldn't bring himself to meet his gaze. Then a tentative hand brushed his arm. He squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm sorry. I'm…a bastard." When Sakuragi said nothing his shoulders slumped. "I shouldn't have…I understand if you don't want me to touch you for awhile. But I…still want to be with you if you…think you can…"

"Kaede…"

They stood there, unmoving, for minutes. They felt awkward and nervous, not really knowing where to go from here. Sakuragi shuffled his feet and Rukawa cleared his throat. They could hear the clock ticking but still they didn't move. It was Sakuragi who finally decided to throw caution to the wind. He let out the breath he had been holding and stepped closer to hug Rukawa.

Rukawa stiffened but then relaxed, sighing with relief. He really wasn't any good at situations like these. He brought his arms around Sakuragi and held him close, pressing his nose in the red mass of hair that rested on his shoulder. "I'm sorry", he whispered. Sakuragi merely nodded.

Their hug was interrupted when the front door opened and a woman's voice came from downstairs.

"We're home!"

Rukawa and Sakuragi broke apart, stepped back and looked at each other. Sakuragi let out an embarrassed laugh and blushed. Rukawa smiled slightly. He answered his mother's call and then went next to Sakuragi again. "I'm so glad", he said, not really knowing why. But Sakuragi seemed to understand as he smiled back. Then the redhead grinned.

"Always remember, you admitted that you're a bastard."

"What?"

Sakuragi laughed. "So that's like giving me the permission to call you that."

"Do'aho", Rukawa sighed and sat down on the bed. But he was happy. Sakuragi was himself again and it was near impossible to feel awkward next to the energetic boy.

"Hey! Watch it! As a punishment for what you did, you are not allowed to call me do'aho for a month. Instead you are to refer to me as a tensai."

Rukawa's face faulted. "I'm not going to call you tensai."

"Oi! You think you have choice? This is to make up for your bad behaviour."

The hardships of life! To have to call the idiot a tensai _and_ be preached about behaviour by the dimwit whose own behaviour left a lot to hope for. "Fine. But only for a week."

"A month!"

"A week."

They glared at each other. Then Sakuragi huffed. "Fine then. Two weeks."

"Che." Rukawa felt like pouting. But he never pouted. Suddenly he blinked as Sakuragi's earlier words came back to him. "Right, what did you come to tell me?"

"What?"

"You said that you came to tell me something."

"Oh, that. Um…" Sakuragi looked troubled. "Look, it's like this", he hurriedly said, "I…I don't know how to kiss." He blushed madly and looked away.

Rukawa was baffled. "Don't know how to kiss?"

"Don't rub it in!" Sakuragi bounced on his feet. "Anyway, yeah…I don't so…"

"What the hell are you talking about, do'aho? We've kissed. So I know you can kiss."

"But I'm not…_talented_", Sakuragi looked like he had eaten something sour. "And don't call me that!"

"Hanamichi, you can kiss just fine."

Sakuragi seemed to have not heard Rukawa's words. He started fingering the hem of his shirt. "And…I don't know what to do when…you…start touching me…I don't know where to put my hands…and everything's so weird…and…I'm not perfect. I'm close, 'cause I'm the tensai!" He laughed nervously. "But still I'm not perfect and…You…might not like what I--"

Rukawa placed a finger on Sakuragi's lips to quiet him. He smiled. "Don't worry. You can kiss. And if don't know what to do then just let me do everything. You'll learn." He took Sakuragi's head between his hands. "Hanamichi, I love you. I like everything about you. Even your stupid and unbelievable flaws. So just…show yourself to me. I won't turn away from you."

Sakuragi looked at him for quite some time before smiling back at him. "Hmph! You're so corny, Kaede…"

_Ugh!_ Rukawa's mouth twisted. _I am, aren't I? Just look at what this do'aho can make me do. Thank god there's no one else here besides us. _"Hn. Whatever do'aho."

"Oi! You were supposed to call me tensai!" Rukawa flinched visibly. This only brought a wide grin on Sakuragi's face. He poked Rukawa. "Come on, say it. You can do it."

_No, I can't._

"Come on."

_I won't. If I do, you'll never let me live it down._

"Kaedeee!" Sakuragi whined.

Rukawa's slender brow twitched. He couldn't resist Sakuragi when he called him Kaede. He had waited for it for so long. And he did have to make up for what he had done. So, grudgingly and very quietly he said what Sakuragi wanted him to say. "Tensai."

Downstairs Rukawa's mother looked up at the ceiling when a boisterous laugh boomed from Rukawa's room. She smiled at his husband who smiled back. "Sakuragi", they said simultaneously.


	7. An Enemy Arrives

Notes: How's that for a quick update? Hehe…you were all so nice that I just couldn't help it. I had to write as quickly as I could. J Thank you so much for your reviews! I think I've spotted at least three people who have been kind enough to review very often; _Nian_, _izumi_ and _annedrew_. Thank you, thank you! You make me happy! And _ZeroCool.0_, I'm glad you liked it! Rukawa's parents don't know yet but I'm planning on making Rukawa and Hana's relationship known very soon. How do you think they'll react? Hehe, I'm not telling you yet! By now everyone's probably noticed I'm in a giddy mood. Don't worry, the chapter isn't going to be like that. Much. Okay, I'm going to shut up now. Hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 7 - An Enemy Arrives

Rukawa dragged his feet across the kitchen floor and sat down at the table, trying desperately to keep his eyes open long enough to eat his breakfast. None of the energy he had possessed during his morning basketball practice was left and he looked about with droopy eyes. His mouth was set in what his mother called his 'morning pout', the corners of his mouth curving slightly down, making him look mildly annoyed. And in fact he _was_ annoyed. Annoyed at the world for forcing him to live through the boring times between basketball sessions and not even letting him spend that time with Sakuragi. He heaved a deep sigh and took another bite from the pear he had been munching.

"Good morning, Kaede," his mother said brightly, stepping into the kitchen and walking to the fridge.

Rukawa grunted. He hated how his parents were so cheery in the morning. It was good that they were in a good mood straight from the beginning of the day but did they have to shove their happiness in his face?

"Did you have a good practice?" his mother asked, going through the contents of the fridge. She knew Rukawa played ball at a nearby court while she and her husband were still sleeping. She was glad her son had found something he really liked but sometimes couldn't help worrying on his behalf. Rukawa didn't really have friends and she had never heard of him having a girlfriend. She was sure that if he would spend a little less time playing and a little more time socialising he would have many more friends he could rely on. And her mother's heart was practically bursting from anxiousness and excitement at the thought of Rukawa having a girlfriend. She knew her son was good-looking and that was always a big plus. There was just no way of Rukawa not being popular among the girls.

"Hn." Rukawa kept his eyes on the table, paying no more attention to his mother and drifting further into his drowsiness. Gradually his jaws slowed down and finally completely stopped moving. A little stream of juice made its way down his chin and dripped on the table.

"Here you go!" Rukawa's mother said, placing a bowl of yoghurt in front of him.

Rukawa snapped out of his slumber, swallowed the last bits of pear that still were in his mouth and stared at the yoghurt in front of him. Then he turned his head to regard his mother with a questioning look.

"You should eat well in the morning. If you exhaust yourself too much you will become ill."

Rukawa looked at her carefully, trying to decide if he could make her change her mind about the yoghurt. Finally he sighed and took the spoon lying on the table.

Before Rukawa could finish the food he was forced to eat, his father barged in and smiled widely at them. "Good morning, honey! Good morning, Kaede!"

"Good morning!" Rukawa's mother smiled and planted a little kiss on his cheek. Rukawa, on the other hand, gave his usual grunt and continued eating. His father set a hand on his shoulder.

"Look at this, Kaede! What do you say?"

Rukawa glanced up at his father, seeing the older man holding out a necktie. He turned away, expressionless. "You look silly," he curtly said. He gulped down the last of his unwanted breakfast, took the bowl to the sink and walked to the door. It was then that he noticed his parents hadn't said anything since his last comment. He turned around to look at them and saw they were staring at him with wide eyes and mouths hanging open. He quickly checked his appearance, nothing out of the ordinary. He raised a brow. "What?" When his parents seemed to be unable to speak he asked again, irritation creeping to his voice. "What is it?"

Finally findind his voice, Rukawa's father made a strange gesture with his hand. "Did you just say silly?"

"What?!" Rukawa was startled, had he used such a ridiculous word?

"You said silly," his mother said, confirming her husbands doubts.

"No I didn't," Rukawa quickly denied. Words like 'silly' weren't in his vocabulary. He didn't use stupid words like that. Words like that were only used by girls and people like--

"That sounds like something Sakuragi-kun would say," Rukawa's father stated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Sakuragi had visited them quite often recently and both he and his wife had become well acquainted with the said boy. At first he had thought the boy was crazy, arrogant and annoying and he had wondered why his son would befriend such a guy. After getting to know the redhead he had changed his opinion on him. Sakuragi was warm-hearted, kind and funny. He was also loud, vain and kind of stupid. But his son had clearly determined to be friends with the redhead so who was he to judge?

Rukawa jerked and almost grimaced. Exactly. Sakuragi was exactly the kind of guy who would use words like 'silly'. In fact, he was pretty sure the dimwit used that particular word quite often.

"Well, I guess you've been spending so much time with Sakuragi-kun that his habits are beginning to stuck on you," Rukawa's mother smiled.

Rukawa pictured himself changing into Sakuragi and almost gagged. It was not a pretty sight.

"Speaking of him, how is he doing these days? I haven't seen him for awhile. He challenged me to a chess match last time," Rukawa's father said, smiling. Granted, the boy was amusing.

Rukawa snorted. _Chess? Hanamichi?_ The two words did not go well together. He turned around to leave. "He's still a do'aho." He heard his father chuckle.

……………….

Rukawa paddled down the street, trying to keep awake and not doing a very good job at it. His bag was slung over his shoulder and he had his earphones on. The music was lulling him to sleep, despite it being a rather quick tempo rock song. His eyes closed, his head dipped and he was asleep.

Rukawa awoke when a hand yanked the back of his uniform and he fell down from his bike. Growling, he stood up and turned to see who had dared to do this to him, although he already had a pretty good idea. And sure enough, there was Sakuragi, still holding on to his jacket and frowning at him.

"Kaede, you asshole! Look where you're going!" Sakuragi yelled, not caring about the people around them. He waved his hand in front of his chest. "Look! Look what you did to the tensai's clothes!"

Rukawa winced at the loud voice right next to his ear but his insides warmed at the mention of his first name. He was quite grateful for his parents for naming him Kaede. Who could've guessed it had such a nice ring to it?

"See this? I just washed it a few days ago and now look at it! It's all your fault! Why must you always ride over the tensai? You could take someone else as your victim, someone who's not as important and talented as I am."

"Yes! Rukawa-kun! Take me!" Several girls shouted, not really hearing what Sakuragi had said but understanding enough to make out the words 'you could take'. Sakuragi turned to face them, his grip on Rukawa loosening but not entirely letting go.

"Shut up, you weirdos!" he shouted before realizing he was badmouthing girls. It was not his way to bully the weaker gender. But what was done was done and a furious tirade of angry words soon shot back and forth between the girls and him.

Rukawa tuned out everyone else but Sakuragi. The occational 'Kaedes' drew his attention more than anything and he closed his eyes, listening to the sound of his boyfriend's voice. It had been a few days since their fight and Sakuragi had been calling him by his first name. It was still new to Rukawa though, so he wanted to fully enjoy it. Funny how he had never realized he had such a nice name.

Finally the shouting ceased and Sakuragi turned back to Rukawa. He eyed the dark-haired basketball genius for a moment before letting go of his jacket. "Hmph! I'll let you off the hook this time but don't count on the tensai's kindness again! And you should really stop sleeping while riding a bike or one day you'll find yourself in the hospital."

Rukawa heard the worry in Sakuragi's voice and couldn't help smiling. "I'll try," he said, patting the other's arm lightly.

"Well well! What do we have here?"

Rukawa froze. _That voice…It can't be._ Slowly he turned his head and immediately wished he hadn't. The glance had proved his fear right. There, standing in front of his very unhappy eyes, was the bane of his life, the annoying mosquito, the evil incarnate and Kanagawa's residential flirt, Sendoh Akira.

"Hi there!" Sendoh smiled.

Rukawa's eyes widened a bit as he stared disbelievingly at the Ryonan's ace. It was not a nightmare, Sendoh was really there. God, how that guy irritated him! Unfortunately Sakuragi didn't share his opinion on their number one adversary.

"Smiley! What the hell are you doing here?" Sakuragi exclaimed, finally getting over his amazement.

"Why, I came to see you of course!" Sendoh replied, a disgusting glint in his eyes. (In Rukawa's opinion, naturally.)

"What?!" Sakuragi's jaw dropped as he stared at Sendoh with growing confusion. Rukawa wasn't worried though. He knew Sakuragi would not understand the undercurrent of Sendoh's statement and therefore would be unable to answer to it. Indeed, he was pretty sure Sakuragi would soon turn to the explanation he always did in the end.

"Aha! I see, you're here to spy the tensai! Nyahaha! So you should be, so you should be! Just wait till our next match! The tensai's going to crush you! Nyahaha!"

And there it was, the very explanation Sakuragi turned to every time something confused him.

Sendoh grinned. The stupid asshole (Again, this is Rukawa's interpretation.) seemed unfazed by Sakuragi's misconception. "You think you can do that?"

_Argh! That bastard! He's too good at handling people._ Rukawa watched, frowning, as Sakuragi began a heated -heated but onesided- argument with Sendoh. And that asshole just kept smiling.

"Alright, alright!" Sendoh finally laughed. "I'm not going to argue, we'll just have to see when the time comes." He waited until Sakuragi's protests had subsided before speaking again. "Actually I'm here because your sensei asked us to play a game against you."

"What?!" Sakuragi yelled, surprised.

_What?!_ Rukawa yelled also, but in his mind only.

Sendoh smiled sweetly. (This was _not_ Rukawa's opinion.) "Anzai-san asked us to play a practice game against you Shohoku. Isn't that great? Hanamichi. Now you can show me what you've learned."

Sakuragi quickly came over his shock at these words. He leaned forward and pointed his finger at the taller boy, narrowing his eyes. "You'll see, Sendoh. The tensai will beat you. You will go home in shame. Nyahahaha!"

Rukawa saw Sendoh was about to say something but he curtly cut in. "Why are you here now?"

"Huh?" Sendoh turned to Rukawa, puzzled. "I just said we're having a game against you."

"But why are you here _now_?" _Stupid ass can't even understand a simple question._

"Yeah." Sakuragi unexpectedly said. "The game isn't going to start right away, is it?"

"Ah!" Sendoh's eyes brightened as he understood. "No, it's not. I just came here early to see what it's like in Shohoku." His grinned in Sakuragi's direction.

_God damn bastard! Stop looking at him all the time!_

"Hmph!" Sakuragi grinned widely and stroke his tensai pose. "Look all you want, Sendoh. You won't be able to understand what the tensai does anyway. You're a hundred years too early for that. Come on, Kaede. Let's go."

Rukawa grabbed his bike and turned to follow the redhead, but not before seeing the flash of surprise in the Ryonan ace's eyes. He smirked. _Yeah, you see that? Hanamichi is already mine. So you just back off._ He heard a low chuckle from behind him. His face settled in grim lines. _Alright, you bastard. You really seem to want to die. I'll be happy to grant your wish. Just you wait. I'll crush you in today's match. And then I'm going to make sure you never come near Hanamichi again._


	8. The Secret Is Out

Notes: Sorry! It took so long again. L It's 'cause I didn't know how to write this. I knew what was going to happen but I couldn't find the words for it. I still think it's a little…bad but I thought I'd put it here anyway since it's been so long. I hope this doesn't bother you too much. As for your comments on chap 7, thank you! I love to read them! Critisism is also greatly appreciated. I will try to improve and make this story enjoyable to you all! _eta-carinae_ asked if Sendoh really likes Hana. Well, big flirts like Sendoh are very rarely serious. I haven't yet really decided if he truly likes Hana or not. And _ZeroZeta_ (hey, you changed your nick!), I have to comment on that SenRu thing. I don't like that pairing either! Somehow it gives me the creeps. -shrudder- And I like Sendoh too. I'll try to make him more than a flirty bastard but that's going to have to wait until later chapters. Hope you all like this chapter! Have a nice day!

Chapter 8 - The Secret Is Out

Rukawa's eyelids felt heavy. He looked up at the sky and lazily rubbed his left eye, trying to keep awake, and stifled a yawn. He was waiting for Sakuragi to join him for lunch. The do'aho had been caught by their chemistry teacher and was now being lectured for not doing his homework. A smile tugged at his lips at the memory of Sakuragi flailing his arms in the air, trying to explain that the tensai had had more important things to do than measly chemistry homework. Rukawa could barely keep his face straight when he remembered the look on Sakuragi's face when the teacher had sternly wondered how it was possible that a tensai had failed chemistry.

Rukawa had seen Sendoh buzzing around the shcool, talking with everyone, smiling and flirting and generally being the annoying person he was. Rukawa could not understand why so many people liked the guy. Sendoh talked too much, smiled too much and was way too cocky. _That bastard. Thinks he's so good. I'll show him._ Rukawa had to admit, though, that Sakuragi talked and smiled a lot too _and_ was probably the cockiest person Rukawa had ever met. But that was different. Sakuragi was Sakuragi. He was cute and funny and…he was everything Rukawa wanted.

Rukawa turned to his side, resting his head on his folded arm. He squinted his eyes and stared at the fence that circled round the rooftop. Sendoh. He really had to get rid of the Ryonan ace. Somehow he had to make sure Sendoh understood that Sakuragi was his and therefore out of Sendoh's reach. But how to do that without exposing their relationship? _Shit. If Hanamichi hadn't asked me to keep this a secret then everything would be much easier. And why the secrecy? Who cares what others think?_ Rukawa sighed. He had agreed to Sakuragi's suggestion because he himself was a pretty private person and he had thought it might be for the best. Who would've thought that he would actually want to flaunt his relationship with the redhead to the world. Who would've thought that he would be _proud_ to have Sakuragi as his boyfriend. Hn. Surprising indeed.

Rukawa yawned and checked his watch. Sakuragi had been away for quite some time and Rukawa was beginning drift off to sleep against his will. He yawned again and closed his eyes. Sakuragi would wake him up once he got rid of the lecturing teacher. He hadn't thought Sakuragi would be held back so long. Finally giving in to sleep, he yawned once more, shifted a bit to find a comfortable position and fell asleep.

A sudden soft pressure on his lips woke him up. He recognized Sakuragi's scent so he withheld the arm which had already started to push away the intruder and relaxed. He kept his eyes closed but couldn't help a small smile forming on his lips. Sakuragi's kisses were usually light and tentative because the dimwit was worried that Rukawa wouldn't like them. But now Sakuragi apparently thought he was asleep and as a result, was bolder. Rukawa thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of Sakuragi's lips moving against his and bit back a moan when the tip of Sakuragi's tongue brushed against his lower lip. Then Sakuragi moved away and Rukawa opened his eyes, disappointed. He lifted a quizzical brow at the redhead who was looking at him.

"Uwaaaah!" Sakuragi stumbled backwards, eyes wide as saucers and shock written all over his face. "You're awake!" he pointed an accusing finger at Rukawa.

Rukawa enclosed the finger with his hand. "So?"

"So! I thought you were asleep."

Rukawa shrugged. "It's not my fault you're a do'aho."

Sakuragi scowled. It looked rather cute because his face was flushed and his lips were swollen. Rukawa held back a smile. "You…you! Don't call me that!"

Rukawa looked at the redhead for a moment and then he sprung forward, pushing the startled Sakuragi down under him and pressed their bodies together. "You were pretty good," he breathed in Sakuragi's ear.

"R-really?" Sakuragi blushed even darker shade of red and gasped when Rukawa brushed his lips against his neck.

"For a do'aho." Rukawa closed his eyes, inhaling Sakuragi's scent. He planted soft kisses along Sakuragi's collarbone.

"Bas…tard…" Sakuragi's hands moved without his concent and gripped the back of Rukawa's uniform. "Stop…"

Rukawa didn't want to. He wanted to continue and kiss every inch of Sakuragi's body. But he pulled back. Partly because they were at shcool but mainly because his previous assault had had such dreadful consequences. He licked his lips to savour last bits of Sakuragi's taste and then rolled over to his back.

"Hey, Kaede," Sakuragi said after a short silence.

"Mm?"

"Was I really…"

"What?"

"You know, good. Was I really good?" There was anxiousness in Sakuragi's voice, even a little bit of pleading.

Rukawa sat up. "Yeah." He stretched his long limbs. "So where's the food?"

Sakuragi sat up too and gave him a puzzled look. "I thought you were gonna bring that."

"No, you were supposed to."

"Why me? You were the one who came ahead. You had plenty of time to buy some stuff."

"Yeah, but you were supposed to. Do'aho."

"Why you…" Sakuragi dragged his leg across the floor and sent a weak kick at Rukawa's side. Rukawa immediately responded with a backhanded slap on his arm. Sakuragi pushed Rukawa. Rukawa kicked Sakuragi. Roaring, Sakuragi launched himself on Rukawa and proceeded with a series of swift punches which were equally returned. A short fight ensued. Then Rukawa flopped on his back and yawned.

"So there's no food," he stated.

"Aargh! How can this happen! The tensai needs his food! How else am I going to beat that stupid Sendoh?"

Rukawa blinked. For a moment he had forgotten Sendoh. He frowned. It was true that they needed energy. He glanced at his watch and saw that there was still some of the lunch brake left. Grabbing Sakuragi's arm, he hauled himself and Sakuragi up. "Come on."

Sakuragi blinked at him. "Where to?"

"To get something to eat of course. Do'aho." He paid no mind to Sakuragi's loud curses and dragged the boy with him. They would eat properly even if it meant they would be late for class. _And then we're going to crush Sendoh._

…………………

But no amount of energy they could possibly have gained from their lunch could've stopped Sendoh that day. The friendly Ryonan ace was on fire and the longer the game lasted, the wider his smile grew. Sendoh had really looked forward to playing against Rukawa and Sakuragi and the rest of the Shohoku team. He enjoyed the game to the fullest and showed his best performance, silencing even Rukawa's squealing fans, with the exception of the Rukawa Brigade. And finally a whistle blew, indicating the end of the game. The score was 67-75 to Ryonan.

Rukawa looked up at the score board and balled his hands into tight fists, grinding his teeth to contain his disappointment. _I lost to him. I thought I would win this time with Hanamichi's help but…I lost. We lost. _He wiped away the sweat from his forehead and tried to calm down. _It only means I haven't practiced hard enough. I've been slacking off ever since I got together with Hanamichi._

"Line up!"

Rukawa went to stand next to Mitsui, still deep in thought. But when he heard Akagi call for Sakuragi, he looked around and saw the redhead standing with his back to them and not making any sign of hearing what Akagi had said. _Because he thinks he's a tensai, every failure makes him doubt himself_, he thought a little impatiently but then he sighed in affectionate defeat. _Oh well_, _that's one of the parts I like about him._ He left the line, not even noticing the curious looks he got, and walked up to Sakuragi. He felt surprisingly calm now, as if concentrating on Sakuragi's problems had absorbed whatever anxieties he had harbored earlier. He placed a hand on Sakuragi's shoulder and affectionally brushed his fingers against the redhead's neck. He didn't hear the collective gasp that echoed throughout the gym.

"Don't worry," he said almost inaudibly, leaning closer to Sakuragi's ear. "We'll beat him next time." He watched as Sakuragi processed what he had said and turned to look at him with those brown eyes of his which at the moment looked so soft that Rukawa almost melt at the sight.

Sakuragi looked at Rukawa for a while longer, searching for reassurance in the blue depths. Then he grinned, convinced by the steadiness of Rukawa's gaze. "Of course. I'm the tensai!"

Rukawa let go of his shoulder. "We'll have to train harder," he said, ignoring Sakuragi's exclamation.

"Yeah! …I mean, no." Sakuragi made a dismissive wave with his hand. "The tensai doesn't have to train. But I'll train with you, if you need the tensai's help. Ahahaha!"

"Do'aho," Rukawa muttered and turned around to return to the line but stopped when he saw everyone staring at him. _What the hell?_ He frowned. Sakuragi walked past him and he followed, still bothered about the disbelieving stares that had been directed at him. _Wait, no. Not me, us. Me and Hanamichi._ Rukawa's eyes widened as he realized what he had just done to Sakuragi in front of everyone. _Oh shit!_ He glanced at the redhead but the other boy seemed to be oblivious to the stares._ Good. I'll have to think of something to sort things out before he notices anything._ He looked around the gym from under his bangs. _They seem shocked but doubtful. Perhaps they'll think nothing of it. After all, I just put my hand on his shoulder…and caressed his neck. Damn it! Why did I have to do that?_ He glared at his offending hand.

Rukawa followed his team to the benches where they had left their things and grabbed his towel, dabbing his face with it. Sakuragi sat down next to Rukawa's bag and gave a frustrated sigh but said nothing. Rukawa assumed he was still upset about their loss. He knew how Sakuragi felt since he was quite disappointed by their game as well. He sighed and brought the towel to his neck, rubbing the sweat away. He saw others throwing fleeting glances at them and nearly grimaced. _What the hell should I do? Just let it be? They are not sure if their assumptions are correct yet. If we do nothing suspicious perhaps they will forget all this._ He was so absorbed by his thoughts that he didn't notice Sendoh coming closer to them until Sendoh spoke.

"Yo," Sendoh smiled, looking down at the two Shohoku forwards.

"What do you want, Smiley?" Sakuragi asked, moving restlessly in his seat, trying very hard to hide his grudging respect and the sulking which were starting to surface as a result of his loss to Sendoh.

Sendoh's smile grew warmer. "You two have really improved," he answered, making an approving gesture with his hand. "It was a pleasure to play with you."

"Haha! Just wait, Sendoh! Soon we'll beat you!" Sakuragi boasted, albeit a bit hesitantly. Rukawa just glared at the spiky-haired boy in front of them.

"Well, we'll have to see about that," Sendoh laughed, turned around and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped. He turned back and gave them a long look which made them both feel very uncomfortable. Finally deciding to speak, he gave them a sparkling smile. Rukawa took an involuntary step back, sensing something bad was about to happen. "So, since when have you two been together?"

Sudden silence enveloped the Shohoku basketball court as everyone held their breath to hear the answer to Sendoh's question. Sakuragi turned bright red. Rukawa blinked and then cursed silently. _Great. Fucking great._

"Wh-what do you mean?" Sakuragi sputtered, looking at Sendoh with a shocked expression.

"I mean, when did you start dating?"

"What…what are you talking about?! We're not d-dating!" Sakuragi's face was so red that it rivaled the colour of his hair. Rukawa bit back a sigh. The do'aho couldn't lie at all.

Sendoh tilted his head. "Oh? But I saw you two kissing."

"_What?!!_" Sakuragi's jaw dropped to the ground.

"What?" Rukawa said simultaneously but without any expression. _Where the hell did he see us kissing? And when?_ He glared at the people who were staring at them. _What are you looking at? It's none of your business._

Mitsui came closer, a smug grin plastered on his face. Ah, sweet revenge! Sakuragi was going to pay for all the times he had teased him about Kogure. "What's this? Hanamichi, you were kissing Rukawa?" he asked, barely able to contain his mirth.

"N-no!" Sakuragi turned to look at Mitsui, eyes wide and mouth still hanging open.

Mitsui gave him a teasing nudge. "Now now, don't try to deny it."

"Yeah," Miyagi grinned, eager to participate in the conversation. "You're not fooling anyone."

"What? I'm not…" Sakuragi looked wildly around, trying to find a way to escape the situation. Rukawa sighed. If there had been a way to conciel their relationship, there was none now. He shot a vicious glare at Sendoh but the guy just continued to smile.

"Was it any good? The kiss I mean," Mitsui asked, his grin so wide that it seemed to cover half of his face.

"I bet you're the uke," Miyagi teased.

"I…wha-…uh…uke?" Sakuragi looked at Miyagi, puzzled.

"It means that you're the bottom. The _woman_," Mitsui leered.

"What?! I'm not a woman!"

"I can bet my life that you are the uke," Mitsui said, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

"I'm not a freaking uke!" Sakuragi fumed. He had stood up and was now hovering above Mitsui's face.

_Yes, you are._ Rukawa smirked inwardly.

"When I saw you," Sendoh said slowly so as to catch everyone's attention. "Rukawa was pinning you down."

"Huh?" Sakuragi turned away from Mitsui to regard Sendoh with a heated gaze. "When?"

"Today, on the rooftop," Sendoh answered.

"What?! You were spying on us?!"

Everyone stilled. Rukawa groaned and rubbed his temples. _Well, there goes the last chance of denying everything._ He stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Sakuragi's shoulder to hold back the furious boy. "We have no obligation to answer your questions," he calmly told Sendoh. "So back off. And furthermore, I would appreciate it if you stayed away from Hanamichi."

Sendoh raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Are you jealous?"

Rukawa grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Let's go, Hanamichi," he said, ignoring Sendoh's question.

"Huh? Oh, wait." Sakurgi took his own bag and followed Rukawa out of the gym, eager to escape the scene and the shocked stares. Once they got into the changing room, Rukawa cleared his throat, catching Sakuragi's attention.

"How are you feeling?" Rukawa asked, starting to change as fast as he could.

"Uh…I don't know." Sakuragi slumped down on a bench. "Um…I guess it was my fault so…"

"Doesn't matter. Hurry up and get dressed. I want to get out of here before they come in." _They are still digesting the news. Once it finally sinks in, some of them are going to freak. And what about our parents? Shit._ "Hanamichi, I think you should tell your mother."

"What?" Sakuragi asked, startled. He stared at Rukawa incredulously. "I can't do that!"

"You want her to hear it from someone else?"

"She won't hear anything," Sakuragi insisted, dropping his gaze to the ground.

"Really?" _Although I understand. I don't want to tell my parents either. Perhaps I should just keep my mouth shut. It's none of their business anyway._ But he knew he should tell them as soon as possible and it brought a bitter taste into his mouth. He waited impatiently until Sakuragi got dressed and then they headed out, both still sweaty from their game but not remembering it. Both were occupied with a foreboding thought.

_My mother's going to kill me_, Sakuragi thought, shivering.

_My parents are going to have heart attacks,_ was Rukawa's line of thought. He glanced at Sakuragi from the corner of his eyes. _But…I guess it would've come out some day anyway. And no matter what they are going to say, I'm not giving up Hanamichi._ He stopped at the gate and turned Sakuagi around. He looked at the redhead with a serious expression. "Everything's going to be fine." He leaned in and gave Sakuragi a passionate kiss, the first one ever exhanged in public. "I love you."

It took a while for Sakuragi to react. But then he answered the kiss and gave a hesistant smile. "Okay." He was blushing but tried to ignore it. Gaining some confidence from Rukawa's words, he straightened up and looked at his boyfriend. "Okay, leave it to the tensai."

With one final squeeze of hands they went their separate ways and headed home to tell their parents about their relationship, anxiety clawing their insides. What would they say?


	9. Informing the Parents

Notes: Hi! Thank you for your comments! This chapter turned out to be long. I was thinking of splitting it in two but…oh well. I hope that after this everyone will know why Sendoh acted the way he did. I really do like him, he's one of my favourite characters, how could I make him a shameless bastard? Although _KanonA_ liked my Sendoh. (Thank you! I was happy to hear that!) Writing this chapter felt weird. I don't know why. And I seriously don't know why Rukawa's father turned out to be like he did. Well, thanks for the reviews again and I hope you'll like this chap despite its lame title. (I hope _ZeroZeta_ will be rich enough to fully enjoy her Gundam. And I think I heard SD is licenced in the US? Not that it helps me much since I'm not from America. But that's okay, I can get SD elsewhere.)

Chapter 9 - Informing the Parents

(Rukawa)

Rukawa walked down the street, hands stuffed in his pockets and head tilted in a thoughtful manner. He had forgotten his bike at school but since he had only noticed it after coming halfway he had let it be. He could get it tomorrow.

He was nervous. He had been thinking during his walk. He was pretty sure his parents wouldn't say much about him liking Sakuragi. After all, Rukawa had always been different from other kids, it shouldn't be such a shock. His mother was pretty tolerant and his father…well, his father was…he didn't want to think about it. Sometimes he couldn't believe they were father and son. He wondered if he was deceiving himself but honestly he couldn't believe they would freak out _that_ much. If they survived the first heart attack, then everything would be fine. But Sakuragi's mother was a different case altogether. _Hanamichi is all she has and she seems to love him very much. Also, they are very close. If she doesn't like the idea of Hanamichi liking another boy then it could mean a crack in their well-balanced relationship. What would that do to Hanamichi? Would he give up on me, who he has known only for a short time to keep his mother happy? I think he would. But he's not a person who easily gives up._ Rukawa closed his eyes and a slight frown marred his forehead. _But this is his _mother_. Of course her opinion is important to him._

Rukawa's anguished thoughts were interrupted by a loud honk coming from his side. He glanced at the source of the sound and was surprised to see his father smiling at him.

"Kaede, what are you doing? Where's your bike?"

"I left it at school," Rukawa answered, a tight knot forming in the pit of his stomach. _Shit, I'm really getting nervous now._

His father blinked at that but didn't ask any questions. Instead he reached out to open the door for him. "Hop in, I was just on my way home."

Rukawa hesitated a bit but then nodded, getting in the car and throwing his bag in the backseat.

"Buckle up," his father said and started driving again.

The way to their home was a short one and Rukawa was glad it was. The silence lingering in the car was nerveracking and as soon as the the car stopped, Rukawa grabbed his bag and got out. He made a beeline up the stairs, closed the door behind him and plopped onto his bed. _Shit. How am I going to tell them?_

……………

(Sakuragi)

Sakuragi slowly dragged his feet on the cracked asphalt. His gaze was fixed at his shoes which swished in and out of sight as he walked on.

_Tell your mother!_

Rukawa's words echoed in his mind. He gritted his teeth and tried to ignore it.

_You want her to hear it from someone else?_

Of course he didn't!

_She won't hear anything._

Really?

"Aargh!" Sakuragi ripped at his hair, trying to clear his thoughts. _Damn it! Ever since that stupid kitsune confessed to me everything's been so goddamn difficult._ He stopped in his tracks when he saw a pebble lying on the pavement. Squinting his eyes menacingly he took his time to inspect it. Then, with a grim resolution, he kicked it with all his might. It soared through the air and he watched its progress smugly, until its journey came to a sudden halt as it hit a loitering teenager squarely on the head. For a fleeting moment all Sakuragi could do was stare but then he quickly regained his composure and by the time the angry teen turned around in search of the culprit, he was walking down the street, head bowed in deep concentration and his whole body screaming innocence. And the teen bought it. Sakuragi smirked. Hell yeah! He was a tensai.

Not that Sakuragi was afraid of losing to the teen. It was just that Anzai-sensei had forbidden fighting and Sakuragi didn't want to be kicked out of the team. And his mother disliked him fighting. His mother was all Sakuragi had left of his family and he loved her dearly. Which was why he was so afraid of telling her that her son liked another guy. He could see her disappointment already. _Stupid Kaede! He thinks it's so easy. Try being in my shoes._

Where could she possibly hear that Sakuragi was dating Rukawa? There was just no way of that ever happening. Unless…Sakuragi's features were suddenly covered with horror. Why hadn't he thought about it before? Of course. There was the Sakuragi Gundan. _Those bastards will surely slip it the first chance they get. I'll have to call them and tell them not to say anything. Damn! I just hope they'll listen to me._

Sakuragi reached his home. He eyed the house with slight dread. Then he swore and marched up to the door. _What am I doing, being all nervous and fidgety? I already decided not to tell her. So there's nothing to be nervous about._ Despite his thoughts, Sakuragi's steps were soft and silent as he entered the house and he strained his ears to hear if his mother was home or not. When he heard nothing, he relaxed, kicked his shoes off and dropped his bag on the floor. He made his way through the house, past his mother's bedroom and the kitchen, before settling down on the living room couch. He laid there, long limbs sprawled over the cushions and stared at the ceiling, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

…………….

(Rukawa)

Rukawa's mother was making dinner in the kitchen when he trudged in. She glanced up from her work and blinked in surprise.

"Eh? Shouldn't you be practicing?" she asked, puzzled. She checked the time from her watch. Usually at this hour Rukawa was out playing basketball or, as of late, hanging out with Sakuragi. Never had she seen him loitering about the house.

Rukawa gave her a somewhat nervous peek under his bangs and shrugged. This confused his mother even more. She turned away from the kitchen counter to take a proper look at her son. The uncharacteristic fidgeting and the evading eyes made her worry.

"Is something the matter?" she asked.

Rukawa halted. _Why is it that every time you're about to tell your parents something they won't like they suddenly start acting like they're applying for the best parent of the century award?_ He grimaced, a little annoyed, but then took a deep breath and locked his gaze with his mother's. "Mom, there's something I have to tell you."

She blinked and then frowned. Turning to the faucet she hurriedly washed her hands and then sat down at the table, motioning Rukawa to do the same.

Rukawa obliged. He gulped and tried to settle down his restless nerves. "You…" He stopped to think. How the hell was he supposed to tell her? _Okay, I'll just be straight-forward._ He cleared his throat. "You…know Hanamichi, right?" He nearly choked. _Yeah, nice going, Kaede. That was _really_ straight-forward._

His mother looked a bit baffled. But she tried to hide her confusion and go along with him. "Yes, I know him," she answered.

_I'll give her credit for not saying 'of course'._ "Yeah, well…What do you think of him?" _You sure you're not being too blunt?_ He thought to himself, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Well…he's a nice boy," her mother answered, eyeing him questioningly. "Is this about him?"

"Huh? No! Well…yes, sort of." Rukawa could've hit himself for stuttering. _Damn! This is even more difficult than confessing to the do'aho._ He paused there for a moment. Then he barely visibly shook his head. _No, that was harder._

His mother's gaze turned intenser. She had never in her life heard Rukawa stutter. Not even when he was a little boy and came to the bedroom she shared with her husband in the middle of the night, one small hand holding a sheet, and whispered to her ear that he had had an accident. A warm smile tugged at her lips at the memory of a boy handing her a wet sheet with a somber expression. How it had hurt the boy's pride! Rukawa had been such a serious, cute child.

Her smile faded as she looked at the boy now sitting in front of her. Rukawa was no longer cute. His big eyes had narrowed into two icy slits, his soft, creamy, white skin into rough ivory, the redness of his lips had paled and his soft features had become pointy and sharp. She guessed her son was something people called sexy, with that tall, shapely body of his and that handsome face and even that unruly hair that her hands so itched to comb and tidy up. Children grew up and the parents' painful duty was to let them do so. She didn't really want him to always remain a child but she wished she could spare him from the pain the world was sure to bestow upon him as he grew older.

"What is wrong?" she asked softly, reaching out over the table and placing a hand upon his, something she very rarely did out of respect for Rukawa's sense of privacy.

Rukawa tensed at the touch but then sighed and relaxed. "Mom, I think he's more than just a nice boy," he said, his voice steady and unwavering.

His mother didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I like him. I like him very much."

His mother stared at him, eyes wide with dawning understanding. But she was not ready to acknowledge the thought yet. "Like him..?"

"Yes. I'm going out with him."

She was shocked. Shocked beyond words. All she could do was gape at him, hundreds of thoughts racing around her brain. She saw an image of Rukawa with a beautiful girl, surrounded by merry children. That was her dream, that was all she had ever wanted from him. She had let him be what he was and never questioned his decisions and choices in life. She had let him do what he wanted, to a certain degree, all the while hoping of seeing him give her grandchildren. But he was not going to give them to her. He had betrayed her her wish.

"Mom," Rukawa's quiet voice snapped her out of her reverie. She blinked to clear her vision and stared at her son who was now holding her hand and squeezing it lightly. "Mom, I love him," was all he said, but his usually so expressionless eyes were flickering with emotions.

She looked at him carefully, startled by the unusual display of feelings. This meant a lot to him, she realized. He was pleading for her understanding and forgiveness. She wanted to give them to him but…He had betrayed her! Her features hardened.

Almost simultaneously Rukawa's eyes became cold and he let go of her hand. "I won't give him up," he said, straightening up and looking down at her with resolution. "It would be nice if you could give your approval. But…No matter what you say or do, I will no give Hanamichi up. This is my life and I know what I want from it."

She shuddered at the coldness of his voice and stare. This was not what she wanted to see. She screamed silently with frustration and grief. She knew there was nothing she could do, not when Rukawa was like this. But she could try.

"Are you sure you--"

"Yes." The answer came quickly and evenly and devoid any hesitation.

She hung her head and squeezed her eyes shut. She could see the beautiful image she had held dear for so long slipping away, fading into nothingness. And then a new image came in its stead, an image of Rukawa and Sakuragi, standing next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, and smiling brightly at her. She gasped and her eyes snapped open. That's right. She remembered thinking that Sakuragi's company was doing Rukawa good. In the short time Rukawa had spent with the redhead, she had seen him smile more frequently she had ever seen him do so, excluding the time he had been but a baby. Rukawa had been relaxed and content, even she could see that. If that was all because of Sakuragi…wasn't it a good thing? No, she shook her head furiously. Her grandchildren…But if it made Rukawa happy…

She sighed, defeated. "I understand."

Rukawa was startled. "You do?" he asked.

"I…need some time…to get used to it," she said, looking up at him with a faint smile. "But I'll get over it. As you said, it's _your_ life, not mine."

Rukawa heaved a deep sigh of relief. For a moment there, he had been sure that she could not accept it. "Thanks."

She nodded, trying not to show her disappointment. Then she grabbed his arm and looked at him with intense eyes. "Does he make you happy?"

Rukawa stared at her for a moment, willing himself to speak up. _It's embarrassing but it must be done. Damn that aho. The things he has put me through…_ "Yeah," he finally managed to say. _Now, one down one to go. I wonder how father'll react._ He felt nervousness taking over again. He was about to ask his mother where his old man was, when the kitchen door opened and the said man walked in. "Dad--" he started but before he could get any further, he was interrupted by his mother rushing to his father's side.

"Honey, there's something we have to tell you."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Kaede, he's…he's in love."

"Really? Good for you. It's about time," he said, winking at Rukawa.

"Uhm…" _You don't understand. And what the hell do you mean, it's about time?_

"No, honey, you don't understand. He's…he's in love with Sakuragi-kun."

"That loudmouth? Are you sure that's wise? He seems quite a handful."

Rukawa blinked. _What the..?_ He glanced at his mother and saw that she was as surprised as he was. Sure he had known that his father wouldn't take it as hard as his mother but this? "Dad, Hanamichi's a boy," he said, wanting to make sure that he had been understood. Sometimes his father could be as stupid as Sakuragi and that was saying a lot.

"I know. I checked it the last time we were playing chess," his father answered with a broad smile on his face.

_What? Checked? What?!_ "What do you mean, checked?" Rukawa asked with a hint of threat in his voice. _If he touched Hanamichi…What am I thinking? This is my _father_. Surely he wouldn't do anything of the sort. He _is_ stupid though, and perverted…_

"You know, checked!" his father gave him a playful nudge on the ribs.

Rukawa stared at him for few intense moments. Then he sighed and shrugged. "I'm going," he said in his normal monotonous voice and stepped out of the room.

"Where to?" his father yelled after him.

"Hanamichi's," he answered curtly, slipped his shoes on, grabbed his jacket and left the house.

When the door was shut after him, his father heaved a deep sigh and slumped into a chair.

"Honey…"

He smiled weakly. "I knew," he said.

"What?"

"I knew."

His wife stared at him disbelievingly. "For how long?"

"For a couple of weeks. I saw them embracing in the living room."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged. "I thought Kaede wanted it to be a secret."

"Oh." She stayed silent for a moment. "What do you think?" she then asked.

"Well…" He looked up at his wife. "It's his decision."

……………..

(Sakuragi)

A sound of key turning in a lock indicated that Sakuragi's mother was home. He tensed on the sofa, trying to calm down. _Relax, tensai. You're not going to tell her so there's no reason to freak out._ Laughing nervously, he got up and went to greet her.

"Welcome home!" he grinned at her, taking the grocery bag she was holding into his own hands and peeking inside of it.

"I'm home," his mother answered, smiling at him while taking off her jacket and shoes. "How come you're home at this hour?" she then asked, suddenly realizing what time it was. "And alone even?" Usually Sakuragi brought his friends with him if he ever came home before nine.

"Um…Hehe! All of them are so stupid! I don't want to be infected by their stupidity," he explained, scratching the back of his neck and grinning foolishly. His mother didn't even blink at the odd reasoning.

"I see. Well, it's nice to have you around. Could you bring that to the kitchen?" She pointed at the bag he was holding and went ahead. Motioning him to sit down she dove into the contents of their fridge. "Wait just a moment. I'll fix us something to eat."

Sakuragi slid down in his seat after putting the groceries on the table. He traced his finger on the surface, soothing his wrecked nerves. _I'm not going to tell her. Nothing to worry about. Not going to tell her…_ He jumped a bit when a bowl of ramen was set in front of him.

"Here you go," his mother smiled and settled down on the other side of the table, holding her own bowl.

"Uh, thanks," he said, taking the chopsticks she had laid out for him and muttering a silent 'itadakimasu'. _Argh! That stupid Sendoh! Why did he have to blurt out everything? I'll kick his ass. And that stupid _stupid_ kitsune! Meddling with the tensai's business. Who does he think he is?_ He slurped angrily at the ramen. _Maybe your boyfriend? _Sakuragi jumped at the unexpected small voice in his head. _Boyfriend. What does that even mean? Boy friend. Boyfriend. I guess there's a difference. He says he likes me. Is that why he's so interested in the tensai's business? But he shouldn't tell me what to do!_

Sakuragi snorted approvingly at his thoughts. It was true. Rukawa had no right to tell him what to do. Rukawa was a cold, inconsiderate jerk with a stick stuck up his ass. _But that doesn't change the fact that I…_ "I like Rukawa Kaede," he said out loud, nodding. _Perhaps he isn't that cold or that inconsiderate. Argh! Actually, he's so perfect that it makes me want to puke! How can I not like him? He's handsome and sexy and..nice even. He makes my heart race by just standing close to me and makes me feel these weird things I've never felt before. But he definetly has a stick up his ass, no doubt about that!_ His smirk held a touch of smugness.

"What did you say?"

The shocked question broke Sakuragi's concentration on his thoughts. He looked up, dumbfounded. "What?"

"Did…did you just say that you like Rukawa Kaede?" his mother asked, her chopsticks hovering above her bowl, forgotten

"Ah! Um…hehe…uh…" Sakuragi's eyes darted around the room, trying to find a way to answer her._ It's all Kaede's fault for taking over my thoughts!_

"When you say like, do you mean..?"

"N--" Sakuragi blinked.

_You want her to hear it from someone else?_

_She won't hear anything._

Really?

Sakuragi closed his eyes for a second. He knew how this was going to end. But…he did want to be with Rukawa and eventually she would find out. "Yes," he said with resignation. He looked as his mother's features went through abrupt changes, going from shock and disbelief to blankness and then disgust and disappointment. He quenched the pain forming in his chest and bit his lip to keep a straight face. _I knew this was going to happen. I knew. That's why I didn't want to tell her._

"You're joking."

"I'm sorry." His apology told her more clearly than anything that he was serious. Her mouth twisted.

"How can you do this to me?"

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, the shame!" She buried her head in her hands, dropping the chopsticks and not even noticing how some of the ramen splashed over her.

"I'm sorry."

"Do you know what this means? People will scorn you! They will make you an outcast! They will look down on you! That boy is not worth all that! You don't like him like that. This is just a phase. You're young, you want to experience new things."

Sakuragi shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said again.

Her eyes filled with tears. "What would your father say? He would disown you! How do you think he would feel about this?!"

Sakuragi gritted his teeth. His father. That was a subject he didn't like to dwell on. It brought bad memories to him and made him cry. But he didn't think he would disown him. "Wouldn't…" he started, hesitating, "Wouldn't he be happy for me?"

His mother was taken aback. "What?"

"Kaede…he makes me…I like being with him. It gives me a good feeling."

She stared at him.

Sakuragi continued, becoming more sure of himself. "Kaede is the first person to love me besides you and father. It makes me happy. And I like him. I think…Ahaha!…I think me and him have a chance." He fidgeted under his mother's scrutinizing gaze. "So…c-could you…"

Silence enveloped the room for a long while. Sakuragi tried to stay still but found it impossible. He didn't dare to look at his mother.

Finally his mother broke the silence. "Hanamichi, go away for a while, will you?" she said slowly. "I need to compose myself."

"Ah…Okay." He stood up and started to leave.

"Hanamichi."

He stopped. "Y-yes?"

"I'm…sorry for my outburst. But…I can't accept it. I can't just be happy for you. It would be best if you didn't bring him to the house for now."

"Okay."

"And don't come home tonight. I need to think."

"Okay." Sakuragi walked to the door but stopped again. "Mom, I'm sorry I disappointed you. But I really like him. It feels right to be with him." He paused. "I'm sorry," he whispered before exiting first the kitchen and then the house.

He walked down the street, slowly and deep in thought. He had just made the most important decision he had ever made in his life and he felt…strange. A bit empty. A bit regretful.

"Hanamichi!"

His head snapped up and he stared at the boy jogging towards him. "Kaede…"

The other boy looked at him apprehensively. "How did it go?"

"Ah, hum…" Sakuragi shuffled his feet and averted Rukawa's eyes. "Can…can I stay with you tonight?" he asked intsead of answering.

"Stay?" Rukawa arched a brow.

"Yeah." He looked up, trying to convey his feelings to Rukawa. They stared at each other.

"Do you mean..?"

Slowly Sakuragi lifted his arms and brought them round Rukawa's neck. He pressed his face in Rukawa's jacket. "Can I?"

……………

(Rukawa)

His breath caught in his throat as Sakuragi pressed his body against him. _It didn't go well, did it? I'm sorry, Hanamichi, but it had to be done._ He felt his body respond to the hot breath tickling his neck and their closeness. Hesistant, he circled his arms around Sakuragi and inhaled his scent. _Is it okay to do it now? Wouldn't I be taking advantage of the situation if I did it now?_

"Kaede..?"

Rukawa closed his eyes and held Sakuragi closer. _He needs me. And I need him, even if it _is_ in a different way._ He stopped thinking and pressed a small kiss on Sakuragi's temple. "Of course," he whispered.

……………..

(Three weeks later)

Rukawa was in the super market, peering down at the list his mother had given him. _Hmm… salt, milk, eggs, cheese…_ He reached down to pick a cheese when a familiar voice caught his attention. Growling, he straightened up and glared at the person coming his way, hoping that would drive him away. No such luck.

"Hey! How's it going with you two lovebirds?!" Sendoh beamed, merrily waving a cucmber in his hand.

Rukawa did his best to ignore the disturbing vegetable. He glanced at the smiling face with disdain. "Fine. No thanks to you."

Sendoh's grin subsided into a small smile. He kept silent for a while and when he spoke again, his voice was soft and quiet. "You know, Rukawa," he said with a wistful look in his eyes that didn't go unnoticed by the other boy. "I once knew a guy who tried to hide his relationship."

Rukawa frowned slightly. He could almost detect sadness in the older boy's voice.

Sendoh chuckled mirthlessly. "He told his girlfriend that it would be for the best to keep it a secret because he was rich and the girl was poor and he didn't want others to think that the girl was only after his money."

Rukawa had to raise a brow at that. _What a stupid story._

"Everything was fine for a long time. But then the girl started to feel that the boy was ashamed of her and that because of that he didn't want to show her to his friends and family. Even when the boy assured her that that was not the case, she couldn't believe him She had lost her faith in him and couldn't trust him anymore. As time went by the girl grew more and more restless and finally she couldn't take it anymore. She broke up with him, leaving both of them heartbroken."

Rukawa stared at him, contemplating whether or not to comment. "Was it you?" he finally asked, still a little unsure if it was a good idea to open his mouth.

Sendoh gave him a sorrowful sideglance. Seeing Rukawa blink dumbly, he bursted out laughing. "No, actually I read it in a book. My little sister has it. Do you want to borrow it? It has a very sad and dramatic ending."

Rukawa resisted the very strong urge to kill Sendoh. _Ignore him, ignore him. It wouldn't do to be sent into jail and leave Hanamichi all alone, now would it?_

Gradually Sendoh stopped laughing and cleared his throat, looking down at Rukawa with his eyes still flickering with amusement. "But seriously, Rukawa. It's not a good idea to hide a relationship. Not if you truly like him. It's not going to do any good for you."

Rukawa raised a questioning brow. "Oh? Are you saying that you did it _for_ us?"

Sendoh smiled. "Well, what do you think?" When Rukawa didn't answer, he chuckled and left it at that. "Take my advice, Rukawa. I know these things."

Rukawa studied him coolly. "I don't need your advice. And in any case, it's no longer a secret."

"Ah, that's true, that's true. Well, good for you." Sendoh patted Rukawa's shoulder, ignoring the glare directed at him. "Don't hesitate to call me if you have any questions about dating. Akira-sama's help line will surely solve any problem you might encounter."

"I don't want to call you."

"How to make your lover smile after a row? How to get rid of annoying relatives when all you want to do is make out with your lover? How to make up for the date you forgot?" Sendoh prattled on, unheeding Rukawa's death glares. "How to make your lover your personal sex slave without him noticing it?" Sendoh gave Rukawa a wink and a nudge at his ribs. "Akira-sama has answers to all these fascinating questions. Call now and you'll get a discount."

"Fuck off," Rukawa growled.

"Now now, don't underestimate my wisdom. I have years of experience."

_No doubt._ "Go away."

"Are you always this cold? That won't do. Hanamichi will break up with you if you keep this up. Although then I could make him feel better after the breakup." Sendoh rubbed his chin, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Stay away from him."

"Aw, do I have to? He sure is hot."

"_Stay. Away_," Rukawa hissed through clenched teeth.

Sendoh burst out laughing again. Putting the cucumber he had been holding into his shopping cart, Sendoh started to walk away. "Haha! See you later, ice boy!"

"Hey!" Rukawa watched as Sendoh turned to look, cursing himself for speaking up again. But then he shrugged. _Might as well make sure._ "It was you, wasn't it? In the story."

Sendoh looked back at him with a small smile. Then he grinned and turned away. "It doesn't matter," was all he said before disappearing behind a pile of diapers.


	10. In the Library

Notes: Ack! I've been abroad since recently so that's why I haven't updated. Thank you for your comments! Was it really that surprising how Hana's mother reacted? I thought of her as a very conventional woman and that this is the way conventional people react to such news. It was so difficult to figure out how different people would react. How am I supposed to know what a middle-aged Japanese man would say in such a situation? I was kind of worried people would get bored reading about the parents' thoughts. As I stood on the deck of a ship and gazed at the moon it suddenly occured to me that they are OCs. Funny how I never realized that. I'm relieved you _didn't_ get bored, at least not too much. Argh! Your comments would require more responses, since they awoke so many thoughts in me, but there's no space here. Perhaps there will be in the next one. In this chap, nothing really happens. I hope you will still like it! Ah, more of the gundan and Haruko in the next chap.

Chapter 10 - In the Library

Rukawa tilted his head to see round a book shelf. Seeing no one he knew, he walked on and did the same when he reached the next shelf. No one there. Rukawa sighed. He had been walking around the library for what seemed like an hour. A glance at his watch told him that it had only been five minutes. This piece of reality didn't stop him from cursing a certain dimwitted redhead for making him run around the library during his nap time. He had already lost some of his precious sleep and if he didn't find Sakuragi soon, he would drop to the floor and sleep there. _What the hell is he doing in a library anyway? He's not exactly the reading type._

Rukawa found his way to the back of the library, where the really old books were kept. And there, standing on a ladder and dangerously reaching out to his left, was the do'aho. Rukawa watched as the redhead huffed and puffed in concentration. Sakuragi moved to one side of the ladder, one of his legs trying to find a decent footing at the edge of the shelf as he leaned even further to his side. _It's getting dangerous._

"Oi," Rukawa called out, his intention to save the redhead from falling down. It didn't work though, as he soon realized. Sakuragi was surprised by the unexpected sound and he yelped and stumbled a bit and then lost his grip on the ladder and promptly fell down. Rukawa looked down on him. When the redhead didn't move, he nudged his shoulder with his toes. "Oi. You okay?"

It wasn't really a surprise when Sakuragi suddenly jumped up, snarling and hissing angrily. "Damn you, kitsune! You bastard!"

Rukawa stifled a sigh. _Perhaps I should tell him I was just trying to warn him…On the other hand, it might not be worth the trouble. Hm.._ After a moment of weighing his options, he went for the latter one. "Do'aho," he said and watched as Sakuragi got fired up. He liked that fuming face too much to stop annoying Sakuragi.

"Damn you! Damn you! Kitsune!" Sakuragi yelled, circling round Rukawa and glaring at him. Rukawa knew this pattern very well. When Sakurgi got angry, there was a short period of time when he seemed to have problems finding proper words to express his state of mind. During this time, Sakuragi liked to shout some insults, all of them randomly selected from the collection Sakuragi had individually prepared for each person he had ever met. For Rukawa Sakuragi had two main insults in store, those being 'kitsune' and you bastard'. These two expressions, with the additional 'damn you', were showered upon Rukawa every time Sakuragi got angry at him. Which was quite often. Rukawa liked to call this part 'The Autopilot', because Sakuragi wasn't really thinking what he said and instead was trying to get his thoughts in order.

Sakuragi went silent but continued to stare. Rukawa spared him a glance. After this quiet moment, which was usually very brief, would become the reason why Sakuragi was pissed off.

"You bastard!"

_Okay, so maybe he still needs some time to collect his thoughts._ Rukawa forced away the smile which was threatning to spread across his face.

"Why didn't you catch me?" Sakuragi asked, pointing an accusing finger at him, very nearly touching his nose with it.

Rukawa blinked. "Catch you?"

"Yeah! When you saw me falling, why didn't you catch me?"

"Do'aho. You weigh a ton," Rukawa replied as if that would explain everything. He watched in silent amusement how Sakuragi processed his words and smirked when the boy went into another fit of frenzied name-calling. But then his worry over the redhead's well-being won his urge to tease and he cut off Sakuragi's tirade. "Are you hurt?" he asked, letting his worry show.

Sakuragi stopped in the middle of his rambling and looked at him, taken aback by the sudden change in Rukawa's behaviour. "Huh?"

"Are you hurt?"

"Ah…uh…ehe…Heheh…" Putting his hands behind his neck, Sakuragi gave a nervous burst of laughter to hide his embarrassement. "Nyahahaha! How could such a puny fall hurt this tensai? You stupid kitsune!"

Rukawa raised a brow at that. "Really?" he asked. He stepped closer to Sakuragi and reached out his hand to touch the redhead's stomach.

Sakuragi stiffened and a faint blush creeped up his cheekbones. "Y-yeah."

Rukawa came even closer to Sakuragi, so close that their chests almost touched. He pressed his palm against the rough fabric of Sakuragi's uniform jacket and turned his head to whisper in Sakuragi's ear. "Are you sure?" He could feel Sakuragi's heartbeat quicken and allowed a small smirk grace his lips.

"Y-yeah…"

"Hm…" Rukawa slipped his hand under the jacket and slowly massaged the tightening muscels.

"Ka-Kaede! Wh-what are you doing?" Sakuragi asked, trying to sound irritated and confident but failing miserably when Rukawa's hand snaked around his waist and pulled him closer. He felt Rukawa's other hand join the first one and let out an embarrassingly girly sound when they pulled his shirt up and brushed against his skin. His face was burning.

"Making sure you're okay," Rukawa mumbled, feeling Sakurgi shiver under his touch. He rubbed Sakuragi's hot cheek with his own and smiled when the redhead squaked. He loved the reactions he got every time he touched the other boy.

"Ka-Kaede…" Sakuragi clutched Rukawa's shoulders, trying to push the other boy away but somehow ending up pulling him closer instead. He was bewildered by his own actions but was unable to dwell on it any longer as Rukawa continued to drive him crazy. He closed his eyes when lips touched his cheek and leaned in, closer to Rukawa, hungry for more of the wonderful feeling the raven-haired boy was giving him. And Rukawa was only too happy to do as Sakuragi wished.

But their bliss was short-lived. A sound of foot steps and talking girls reached their hearing and Rukawa felt Sakuragi freeze under his touch. He stopped caressing the boy, his mouth settling in a grim line, and stepped back. He watched as Sakuragi hastily corrected his clothes with darkening eyes. The redhead tried to even his breathing. Rukawa gritted his teeth and turned away. The footsteps were coming closer, soon the girls would be there and Sakuragi would forget him. The same thing had happened too many times already.

"Haruko-san!" he heard Sakuragi stammering in a defeated, guilty, pleading tone which made Rukawa want to punch the girl for making Sakuragi feel so bad.

"S-Sakuragi-kun," the girl said. Rukawa didn't see her but he knew what kind of face she was showing. He had seen it before. There was surprise and hurt and then a forced smile. She hadn't properly talked to Sakuragi after she had found out about them. Rukawa had heard she hadn't shown up in school for a few days and that she had been down ever since, only recently gaining back some of her cheerfulness. But Rukawa couldn't feel sorry for her. Her behaviour was making Sakuragi sad and that alone was enough to remove any sympathetic thought he might otherwise have had. He wondered if Sakuragi thought he was being cold and inhuman but the truth was he didn't even know the girl and he certainly didn't care about the girl in any way other than her influence on Sakuragi. What was he supposed to do anyway? It wasn't his fault the girl liked him. Should he give up what he had with Sakuragi just so that she could continue dreaming about him? He was not about to do so.

"Haruko-san, I--"

"Um…I-I have to go! See you later, Sakuragi-kun."

Maybe the girl was trying to be as normal as she could around Sakuragi. Maybe she wanted to be friends with Sakuragi like she had used to be. Rukawa didn't know. What he did know, was that if that was her intention, it wasn't working at all. He turned around when the girl and her friends had walked away and saw Sakuragi looking after them with a troubled expression. A painful knot formed in Rukawa's chest. _I wonder why it hurts so much._ "Hanamichi?" When Sakuragi didn't answer he moved closer to him and gingerly placed an arm around his shoulders. "Hanamichi, you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Sakuragi grinned but there was no mirth in his eyes. Obviously the way Akagi Haruko was avoiding him made him feel really bad. And there wasn't really anything Rukawa could do about it. The only one to ease Sakuragi's mind was Haruko. It pissed Rukawa off and made him writhe with jealousy.

"Have you talked to her?"

Sakuragi seemed reluctant to answer but finally he shrugged. "No."

"You should." The words brought a bitter taste into his mouth but they had to be said.

"Yeah…" Sakuragi looked up and gave him a weak smile. "Hahah! Yeah, I should. I'll talk to her soon. I'm the tensai so there's no problem, right?"

"No. You're a do'aho so there's no problem."

For a moment Sakuragi seemed not to know how he should react to Rukawa's words. Then his naturally happy and optimistic personality took over and he forgot his troubles and shot a death glare at Rukawa. "You bastard! Don't insult the tensai! You already admitted that I am one so there's no point in denying it now."

"Hn. You forced me to."

"Are you implying that I'm not a tensai?"

"Yes."

"Why you!"

Rukawa tuned out Sakuragi's rambling and settled to only look at him. He had thought that seeing the redhead being his own stupid self would ease the pain in his chest but it only made it worse. Rukawa resisted the urge to go up to Sakuragi and hold the boy as close and as tight as he possibly could. Not only would such action freak Sakuragi out, Rukawa himself would be terribly ashamed of it later on. So he stuffed his hands in his pockets and continued to annoy the other boy, feeling completely useless and not liking it. _Why is it so damn hard to be with him? Why do people have to interfere with our relationship? If Hanamichi were a girl would things be easier? I guess so. For one, his mother wouldn't have been against us._

A displeased frown wrinkled Rukawa's forehead and curved his lips at the thought of Sakuragi's mother. For weeks she had not wanted to even see Rukawa. She had tried to hide and deny the fact that her son was dating a boy. She had thought the relationship brought shame on her and Sakuragi. Somehow she had been unable to acknowledge Sakuragi's happiness. When she finally had allowed Rukawa entrance in her house she had been cold and stiff and in every way completely different from the way she had been before. Things were still unsolved with her.

Rukawa's own parents had been much easier to deal with. His father had played chess with Sakuragi like he had used to and Rukawa could not see any difference in his behaviour. His mother sometimes had a regretful look in her eyes but she was obviously doing her best to accept the relationship which so clearly made Rukawa happy. She had also made an effort to get to know Sakuragi better, an act Rukawa particularly appreciated.

The Sakuragi gundan was partially to blame for the fact that everyone in Shohoku knew about Rukawa and Sakuragi. After the initial shock they had quite quickly realized this was something they could torment Sakuragi with. Ever since, they had used every opportunity they got to tease Sakuragi about it and sometimes even Rukawa which had surprised the stoic boy. Being the obnoxious, carefree boys that they were and liking Sakuragi as much as they did, it didn't take long for them to accept whatever Sakuragi did. Rukawa suspected they hadn't really thought what it meant that the two of them were going out. He was pretty sure it hadn't accured to them that dating meant hugs and kisses and gropes and…other stuff, in other words, that dating was the same between two boys as it was with a girl and a boy. Rukawa hadn't dared to touch Sakuragi in front of them yet, thinking it would be too much for Sakuragi to handle if they freaked out. The gundan were the only ones, except for the basketball team, that hadn't thrown a tantrum after hearing about Rukawa and Sakuragi's relationship and it was important that it stayed that way. Rukawa didn't want to shake Sakuragi's foundations any more than he already had.

The team had been quite cool with it, which wasn't that surprising since Mitsui and Kogure were already going out. The difference between these two relationships were that neither Mitsui nor Kogure were as adored as Rukawa was and thus their affections towards each other hadn't caught as much attention. It made Rukawa quite envious and he had cursed his fine features more than once. It seemed that he was the reason for every problem they encountered and it made him feel guilty. It wasn't he who had to endure coldness and vicious words from a horde of angry girls, it wasn't he who had to suffer from disappointed looks and resentment from his parents, it wasn't he who had to read mocking letters from jealous admirers. No one accused _him_ of being a stupid asshole who stole other people's loved ones. It bothered him that everyone seemed to think Sakuragi was the bad one, that Sakuragi was the only one who had done something wrong. Did a pretty face really mean that much? And if so, how come no one saw what a cute face Sakuragi had, how beautifully his face flushed when he was embarrassed or heated from exercise and how irresistably adorable he was when he was confused? How could anyone hate a radiant being such as Sakuragi? Everyone had to be crazy. There was no other explanation.

Sakuragi had finally gotten tired of insulting Rukawa and had returned to his previous exercise. He was currently hanging on to the ladder and trying to reach the book he wanted. Rukawa watched him silently. He wanted to urge Sakuragi to speak with Haruko and to put an end to the uncertainty but at the same time he wanted to grab Sakuragi and kiss away the tiniest bit of memory of the sweet-natured girl from Sakuragi's mind. But that was not possible. Some day, Sakuragi would have to face Haruko and the sooner it happened the better.

Sakuragi slipped and almost fell down again but managed to get a hold of the shelf to prevent his fall. Rukawa let out the breath he had suddenly sucked in at the moment Sakuragi had lost his balance and felt the last bits of shock drain away with it. "Do'aho. Why don't you move the ladder?"

"Ah!" Sakuragi looked like the thought entered his mind for the first time. Then he quickly smirked. Far be it from him to ever admit his mistakes. "Hah! A common person like you would never understand," he smugly said and continued his book hunt after taking a firmer grip on the ladder.

Rukawa sighed. _Shit. I shouldn't have said that. Now he will never move the ladder._ He watched, his heart beating erratically, as Sakuragi tumbled on the ladder. He breathed out his relief as Sakuragi finally got what he wanted and descended to the floor. "What the hell is that?" he asked, eyeing the book firmly implanted in Sakuragi's hand. The dusty cover held no writing but he could distinguish golden letters on the back of the book.

"Hmph! This is for the tensai's secret purposes. No need for you to know."

"Whatever," Rukawa replied, ignoring the challenging look Sakuragi was throwing in his direction. It was probably nothing intelligent anyway.

A few days later, when Rukawa was taking out his indoor shoes, he heard Sakuragi's voice from the other side of the shoe lockers. He started to walk around them to greet Sakuragi when the redhead's words sunk in.

"Haruko-san, good morning."

_Haruko? _Rukawa froze mid-step. Quickly pressing his back to the lockers, he strained his ears to hear Haruko's reply. As soon as he got into this position, he cursed inwardly. _What the hell am I doing, hiding like this?_

"G-good morning, Sakuragi-kun," Haruko's quivering voice said.

Rukawa held his breath to hear better. Any thoughts of how eavesdropping was an immoral act flew out of his head.

"Haruko-san, we need to talk."


	11. Operation Haruko

Notes: Humm…I don't know what the hell I was thinking while I wrote this. Gah, it's annoying how the characters won't do what I want them to. So hard to keep them IC. And I failed. At least it feels that way. I blame in it on Christmas! I have to use all my money to buy presents so no more manga/anime fun for me this year. Anyway, thank you for your kind reviews! I hope I haven't been too slow again. Let me say this now, I think Haruko is a sweet girl. She helps Hana many times and that alone would make me look at her with approving eyes. Granted, her Rukawa-worship is a little on the annoying side but no one's perfect, right? Hmm…I think I'll update at least once more this year. I might go forward in time soon so be prepared. I was thinking, how does one end a story like this? I sure as hell don't know.

Chapter 11 - Operation Haruko

Rukawa followed Sakuragi and Haruko out of the building and further down a path leading to a soccer field. Sakuragi stopped near the empty field and Rukawa took refuge in a nearby bush. He crouched low so as not to be seen, feeling so tremendously stupid that he thought he would explode from the feeling if he didn't vent it somehow. But he couldn't do anything since Sakuragi and Haruko stood so near. Rukawa waited until he heard them start talking before he peeked out from his hideout. He almost toppled over in surprise.

Sakuragi was in the middle of performing the most ridiculous bow Rukawa had ever seen. It included a lot of flailing hands and scraping feet and was done in a clumsy way which only served to add to the stupidity of it. Rukawa had to grit his teeth to stop himself from laughing. Glancing at Haruko, he saw she didn't have any idea what the hell Sakuragi was doing and was opting to just stare at him in surprise. Evidently Rukawa was the only one thinking Sakuragi was cute. Which was a good thing.

When Sakuragi kept repeating the gesture and there was seemingly no end to it, Haruko finally decided to break the silence. "Um…Sakuragi-kun," she ventured, unsure of what to say.

"Ha-Haruko-san!" Sakuragi stammered, pausing his actions to look down at the girl, a pale shade of red tinting his cheeks.

Rukawa's stomach somersaulted and a bitter taste spread into his mouth. Seeing Sakuragi so embarrassed in front of that particular girl brought back bad memories to him and he felt his body tingle with a sudden rush of blood. He forced himself to ignore the jealousy seeping through him. Sakuragi had showed how much he cared about him, the least he could do was trust the redhead. _But he has never said he loves me…But still, I trust him. I trust him…_

Rukawa was suddenly roused from his thoughts. A gust of wind blew over him and he closed his eyes to keep his hair out of them. When he opened them again he saw four figures crouching beside him. "Wha--?"

Yohei turned to give him a wink. "You didn't think we would pass such a beautiful scene?" he whispered, waving his hand in Sakuragi and Haruko's direction.

"Especially after we found this!" Takamiya exclaimed gleefully with a hushed voice. He shoved something in Rukawa's hands before returning his attention to the two blushing students. "It looks just like confessing," he muttered to Noma who nodded.

Rukawa had recognized the book Sakuragi had been searching for in the library a few days back when Takamiya's comment reached his ears. His hand clenched over the book and he ground his teeth together but couldn't suppress the low growl coming from the back of his throat.

Takamiya froze. Slowly he twisted his body so that the upper part of it faced Rukawa and patted Rukawa's bent knee carefully. It looked liked he was attempting to tame a wild animal. "But since his already your boyfriend, that can't be it, right?" he pleaded.

"Hn," Rukawa replied. He chose not to beat the crap out of Takamiya for even suggesting something like that.

Takamiya regarded Sakuragi and Haruko again with attentive gaze. The two had been fidgeting and blushing for quite a while now, neither saying a word. "But you have to admit, they are exremely nervous and they're _blushing_," he added. Among the gundan, Takamiya was the one with the least amount of self-preservation.

Rukawa's nostrils widened and he glared at the shorter boy. "What are you implying?" he demanded to know, his tone cold enough to bring forth a new ice age.

"Shh!" Ookusu shushed them. "Be quiet you two! They'll hear you."

Rukawa couldn't remember another time in his life when he was being scolded for being too noisy. It shocked him so much that he forgot to be angry at Takamiya and brought his thoughts back to the matter at hand. He glanced at Sakuragi and Haruko to see if there had been any improvement and seeing that there hadn't, looked down at his hand in which he held the book. He flipped the book over to read the letters on its back. '_A Gentleman's Guide._' Rukawa blinked. _What the hell?_ He opened the book and jumped to the introduction part. _This book, when it was first published in 1766…Huh? 1766?_ Rukawa flipped a few pages. _The Usage of Powder. Nowadays, no distinguished gentleman would want to be seen on the streets without his powdered wig. This is particulary important to men unfortunate enough to have been born with dark hair which is…_Rukawa closed the book. _What the hell is this bullshit? Don't tell me the do'aho used _this_ to win Haruko's friendship back? It would explain that strange bow though…And he _is_ stupid enough to do it._ A smile suddenly tugged at his lips. _That do'aho_, he thought affectionally.

"Oh!" Yohei tapped Rukawa's shoulder to catch his attention. When the raven-haired boy looked up, he wordlessly motioned him to watch.

Sakuragi had finally stopped fidgeting. He lifted his gaze to fearfully meet Haruko's unsteady look. "Haruko-san…"

Haruko fingered the hem of her jacket, casting her eyes down.

Sakuragi gulped. He took a tentative step closer to the girl. "Are…are you…I didn't…" When Haruko remained silent, he took a deep breath. "Haruko-san, are you okay?"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

Sakuragi's self-confidence disappeared immediately upon seeing Haruko flinch. "I-I mean…I know that you…Kaede…"

Haruko's blush spread across her face and down her neck. She gestured with her hand, trying to show that she was fine. "I-it's not your fault, Sakuragi-kun," she choked out, trying to hold back tears. If she had had any doubts of Rukawa and Sakuragi's relationship or if she had kept alive, somewhere in her sub-consciousness, a hope that Rukawa might some day return her love, she was now disillusioned. Sakuragi had called Rukawa by his first name. It was the end of her dream.

Sakuragi perked up at her words. "Really?! You're not angry?"

Haruko managed a weak smile. "No, I'm not angry," she said, looking extremely dejected.

Sakuragi's enthusiasm died at the sight. "Haruko-san…"

Tears gathered in Haruko's soft eyes. "I'm sorry. I can't…I'm sorry!" she cried, covered her face with her hands and ran away.

Sakuragi stood looking after her, panic taking over his features. "Haruko-san!" he shouted and tried to run after the girl but a strong hand held him back. He looked over his shoulder.

Rukawa shook his head. The girl obviously needed time to herself.

"Kaede! Let me go! I have to--!"

Yohei appeared next to the redhead. "Don't," he said with a serious expression.

"But! What if Haruko-san never forgives me?! What if she hates me now?! What if--"

"Hanamichi!" Yohei said, raising his voice to cut his friend off. "She already said she isn't angry at you. Give her time, she will come back."

"What if she doesn't?"

"She will. She's a sweet girl. Trust her a bit."

Rukawa had let go of Sakuragi's arm and now stood at his side, listening his conversation with Yohei. Yohei was saying everything Rukawa couldn't bring himself to say and while it stung to yet again see how incompetent he was next to Yohei, he stayed silent, knowing that the most important thing right now was to calm Sakuragi down.

Sakuragi still looked uneasy. "But…Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. If it makes you any happier, I can go and talk to her later."

Sakuragi paused to think over the proposition. He had great belief in Yohei's wisdom and he knew from experience that Yohei was superb at solving problems like these. His male pride complained a bit at having to rely on another but he was kind of relieved that he didn't have to deal with it himself. And if Yohei took care of it it meant that Haruko would soon be okay again. He was ashamed of his weakness but he nodded his approval to Yohei. "Okay. You'll talk to her?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about it. Worry about your grades instead. The bell rang ages ago. If you're not careful, you'll be unable to take part in the upcoming games." Yohei grinned.

"And then Rukawa will beat you and take all the glory," Ookusu added, mischief glinting in his eyes.

"What? No one can beat this tensai," Sakuragi retorted angrily. It never ceased to amaze Rukawa how quickly Sakuragi's mind could jump from one topic to another.

"Really? How many points did Rukawa score in the last game?" Ookusu asked, snickering.

"Huh?"

"Ah! But maybe you don't care anymore since his your honey-bunny now!" Takamiya leered.

Bam! Bam! Takamiya and Ookusu found themselves lying flat on their backs, nursing their steaming foreheads.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Takamiya roared, clutching his throbbing forehead.

"He is not my ho-honey…bu…He is not! Watch your mouths, you dirty punks!" Sakuragi roared back, sporting a very red face.

Noma bit his lip, trying to hold his comment in, but failing. "You should watch out, Hanamichi," he found his mouth saying even when he tried to fight it down. "Or Rukawa will spank you for being a bad boy." That said, he turned to flee but was unfortunately too slow. Sakuragi caught him and head-butted him several times before releasing his limp body, grabbing Rukawa's arm and storming off the scene.

"You bastards!" the redhead shouted on his way.

Rukawa followed Sakuragi toward the school building but before they reached it, he yanked his arm free, efficiently halting them both. He searched Sakuragi's face for any negative emotions. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"Hmph! Of course I am! You think those punks could lay a finger on a tensai like me?" Sakuragi boastfully asked.

"No, I meant…You and Haruko…"

"Oh!" Sakuragi's spirits lowered. "Yeah, I think so. It's just…You know…Haruko-san was the first girl ever to pay attention to me and she…she's a great girl! Wonderful. She has helped me out many times and I…feel a bit guilty."

"Why?"

"Because I'm repaying her kindness so poorly." Sakuragi bit his lower lip and cast a pleading look at Rukawa.

"I see," Rukawa said. "But…what we, you and me, do has nothing to do with her. It's not your fault that she got hurt. We were both free at the time so we didn't betray anyone."

"But still…"

"Do you regret becoming my boyfriend?" Rukawa asked, his voice even but his insides in turmoil. This was the one question that had been in his mind for weeks now. Did Sakuragi think it would have been better if they had never started anything? Did he think it was too much trouble to continue being with Rukawa? And if so, did Rukawa have any right to try and convince him otherwise?

"No, I don't," came Sakuragi's firm answer.

Rukawa looked at him, surprised. Sakuragi was gazing back at him with those amazing brown eyes with determination and resolve. Rukawa could do nothing but stare for a long while. Then he hid a smile and turned away, starting to walk again. "Aho," he muttered.

"What?!" Sakuragi's serious expression was gone in a blink of an eye and the redhead raced after Rukawa's retreating figure. "You bastard! How dare you call me stupid at a time like this! Do you hear me, Kaede?! Come back and say that to my face again! Hey! Kitsune! You listening?!" A trail of dust followed the two boys until they disappeared inside the school.

* * *

Yohei rummaged his bag for his lunch and upon finding it, handed it to Takamiya. The boy looked up in surprise.

"Yohei, what's this?"

"I didn't think you would turn down free food," Yohei answered teasingly.

Takamiya humphed. "I don't. I'm just asking why you're giving it to me."

"I have something I have to do and I'm not hungry," Yohei explained, rising from his seat.

"You going to talk to Haruko now?" Noma asked, leaning eagerly forward. He wanted to be there when Yohei had his heart-to-heart talk with the sweet Haruko-chan.

"No, not yet," Yohei answered. "Our homeroom teacher asked me to come and talk with him today." He smiled at the suspicious look Noma and Ookusu had on their faces. "It's too early to speak to Haruko-chan." He turned to Sakuragi who was at the moment engrossed in a Game Boy he had stolen from his classmate. "Hanamichi, I'll see you later." Yohei laughed when he got no reaction from the redhead and then headed out of the classroom, waving to his friends. He met Rukawa on his way down the corridor and gave the stoic boy an acknowledging nod which was returned curtly. They passed each other without a word but that was normal. Rukawa rarely talked to anyone except Sakuragi.

Yohei directed his steps to where he knew he would find Haruko. Contrary to his previous words he _was_ going to talk to the girl now. He just wished to talk to her alone, without his friends listening to their every word around the corner. It was fairer to Haruko.

He stopped briefly as Haruko came into his sight and then proceeded to sit down beside the brunette. He felt her stiffen but otherwise she made no sign of feeling uncomfortable.

"Yohei-kun," she greeted, looking up at him and smiling.

"Can I ask you something, Haruko-chan?" Yohei went straight to the point. He had a feeling that was the best way to deal with a girl like Haruko.

"Y-yes?"

"What do you think of Hanamichi?"

Haruko seemed surprised. Obviously she had not expected such a question. It took her a while to gather her wits but then she could answered without any uncertainty. "I think he is a good person."

"What do you think of Rukawa then?" Yohei studied her face with care. If his hunch was correct, it would be proven now.

Haruko blushed. "I-I…Why do you ask?"

"I need to know," Yohei replied simply.

"W-well…He…He is an amazing guy! He's so…beautiful and talented…and so devoted to basketball…I really admire him!"

Yohei nodded and smiled. "A good person?"

"Yes!" Haruko exclaimed, her eyes shining.

"Is he different from Hanamichi in your mind?"

Haruko's enthusiasm faltered. "Yes…"

"In what way?"

"Well, Sakuragi-kun is my friend. Rukawa-kun is…" she struggled for words.

"Someone you like?"

Haruko's blush intesified. "Y-yes."

Yohei nodded again. He remained silent for a short time. "You know, when I look at those two… Do you know how I feel?"

Haruko snapped out of her daydream and shook her head.

"They are at a level ordinary people can't reach. There's something in them that separates them from us normal human beings. Greatness, of some sort. It makes me feel little." He watched as Haruko nodded her agreement. Her eyes were rapidly saddening. "Hanamichi and Rukawa are out of our reach. We can dream about them but we can never have them. Because we can never truly understand them and they can never truly understand us. They are out there to conquer the world and they don't understand the meaning of the word 'impossible'. If we get in their way they will crush us."

"Rukawa-kun isn't like that!" Haruko protested.

"I don't mean they're cold and selfish. On the contrary, I believe it's difficult to find someone with a warmer heart than Hanamichi and Rukawa doesn't seem too bad either. But, in the end, they will choose their dream over us and they won't even hesitate."

Haruko looked shocked. "I thought you were Sakuragi-kun's friend!"

"I am. I'm sorry, I've made them seem heartless. How can I explain this to you..?" Yohei tilted his head to think. "Do you believe in fate, Haruko-chan?"

"H-huh? I- guess." Now Haruko was perplexed. She had no idea what Yohei was getting at.

"Well, let me make this simple then. It's not exactly what I meant but it's close enough. I think Hanamichi and Rukawa are meant to be. They belong together because together they can reach their dreams and not lose their souls in the process. That is something we can't do for them."

"I'm…not sure if I understand, Yohei-kun," Haruko admitted.

Yohei laughed. "Okay. Forget about all the crap I've said to you. It's embarrassing. Just, don't stop being Hanamichi's friend. He really appreciates you, you know."

"Of course I won't!" Haruko hurried to reassure.

Yohei smiled and patted her head, standing up. "You're a sweet girl, Haruko-chan."

Haruko blushed beet red.

"You can continue dreaming about him if you want. It's possible that he and Hanamichi break up, no matter how they're destined to be. Or you can start finding yourself someone else, someone who makes your heart beat wildly. You could try someone ordinary for a change. Ordinary guys are often less full of themselves and make better boyfriends. Trust me, Rukawa would make a horrible boyfriend for you." Yohei glanced at his watch. "I have to go now. Hanamichi might embarrass himself while I'm away and that's no fun. See you later, Haruko-chan!"

"See you, Yohei-kun!" Haruko went back to her solitary lunch. Someone who made her heart beat wildly? No one but Rukawa did that to her. Someone ordinary? Perhaps, in a while. She still needed time to get over her long-time crush. But she was young and had plenty of time to fall in love again. No need to rush.


	12. Rukawa's Predicament

Notes: Hiya! Thank you very much for your reviews! It's nice to know that someone likes my fic. I'm trying my hardest to make the characters believable and it makes me very happy to hear you think I've managed to do so. To some extent anyway. I agree with _KyotoXoX_ about the YoheiHaruko thing. They are meant to be and it's frustrating how they don't see it. Well, I'm not sure how far I'll take their relationship in this fic 'cause I'm not sure if anyone would like to read about them. I am tempted to write a little about them though, just a little bit, nothing major. Anyway, this chapter is supposed to be a light filler chap. I actually got the idea when I read that _Vicadin-Tea_ (Thanks!) would like to see them make out a bit. What I came up with isn't exactly making out but I hope it will satisfy _Vicadin-Tea_ and anyone else who wishes the same thing. See you around! Hopefully…

Chapter 12 - Rukawa's Predicament

Rukawa was an independent sort of guy. He liked doing things on his own, standing on his own two feet, never asking help from anyone. He solved problems systematically and efficiently as they arose and took pleasure in seeing things done and done well. One might even say he was a perfectionist although there were things he didn't care about and thus neglected them. Even though he was very rarely influenced by anyone and indifferent about many things, there were some things he had become so engrossed in that it had started to feel more like an obsession than anything else.

Basketball was one of those things. He loved the game with every cell in his body. He could pick up a ball and start playing and play for hours without noticing the passing of time. To him, basketball was like a drug: he was addicted to it and the more he played and the more he achieved, the more he wanted to play and improve and achieve. He was unsatisfied with his skills and he guessed he always would be but the thought didn't make him sad or angry. Merely pursuing his dream, giving his all and always finding a new challenge to overcome; he could live like that and never feel empty.

Having another person constantly in his thoughts was something Rukawa had never before in his life experienced. When he was away from Sakuragi he would picture the blazing red hair of his boyfriend or imagine how the tanned skin felt under his touch, what kind of face Sakuragi made when he caressed him and what the do'aho tasted like. He dozed off in his classes, dreaming about Sakuragi and after the bell rang, he scurried away from the classroom, hardly bearing to wait to see him in person. And when he did see Sakuragi, when he was with him, near him, all he could do was inhale his scent and listen to his voice and stare at him, unblinking and hardly breathing, afraid he would lose a fraction of Sakuragi's speech or expressions, loving every moment he got to spend with him. It irritated the hell out of him.

Rukawa began to realize he was not completely happy, even while playing basketball, if Sakuragi was not there. How was that being independent? How was that being _him_? Rukawa Kaede did not need anyone, he would do perfectly well even without his parents. He was happy being what he was. So who was this Sakuragi Hanamichi to come and mess everything up, to barge into his life without his consent and turn everything upside down? Who was Sakuragi Hanamichi to make him want and _need_ and lose control? Who gave Sakuragi the permission to invade his every thought, to pester him in his every waking hour and even take over his dreams?

Even before Rukawa had gotten Sakuragi to himself, his thoughts had mainly consisted of the stupid redhead. But back then his thoughts had had a purpose, a goal, something he could strive for. He had schemed and plotted and dreamed in his head, all to have Sakuragi exclusively to himself. He had managed to achieve that. So why was he still mooning over the boy, sighing like a lovesick school girl? How pathetic. But perhaps he could've lived with that, no matter how uncool it was and how badly it hurt his pride, if it weren't for one thing. That was the fact that he was almost completely sure Sakuragi wasn't as grazy about him as he was about Sakuragi.

It was Rukawa who had confessed and who had convinced Sakuragi to be his boyfriend. It was Rukawa who always told Sakuragi how much he liked him. He couldn't really believe it. He was the more open one. Sakuragi never said anything. Although Sakuragi seemed to be happy with him and occationally make an effort to make their relationship work, Rukawa was not completely happy. Why would Sakuragi not confess his love? Was he being influenced by his mother who considered their relationship a disgrace? Did he think it was shameful to love another man? Whatever the reason, Rukawa wanted to know it.

* * *

Rukawa's eyes were locked on his ball as it whirled round and round on his index finger and then threw it onto his other index finger as it began to wobble at loss of speed. From left to right it went, never ceasing its circling motion and still gaining nothing from it. There was no meaning to it and yet he did it often, sometimes out of boredom and sometimes without any reason at all. He wondered why. He never did any unnecessary things.

"Oi! Kaede! Why are you just standing there? Did you fall into despair after witnessing the tensai's magnificent skills?" Sakuragi grinned gleefully, dribbling a ball while crouching low.

"Hanamichi," Rukawa said, ignoring the taunt.

Sakuragi was a bit thrown off at Rukawa's lack of response. Normally the dark-haired boy would make a witty retort, say something that made Sakuragi go furious and then completely ignore him for at least five minutes. "What?" he asked, straightening to his full height.

"Have you ever wondered why we do this?"

"Do what? Be more specific, you always talk so weirdly," Sakuragi complained.

"This," Rukawa clarified, holding out the whirling ball.

Sakuragi didn't understand at all why Rukawa was talking about such weird stuff but being Sakuragi, he didn't really care. "Hah! You're so stupid, kitsune!" he exclaimed, looking smug even though he had no reason to. "Of course it's to look cool!"

The ball dropped to the ground as Rukawa stopped to stare at Sakuragi. "To look cool?" he repeated. "That's why? That's the only reason?"

"What other reason do you want? Stupid kitsune."

To look cool? That was not a reason. Not for Rukawa anyway. But it didn't really matter. What was important was that Sakuragi had come up with a very simple answer to his question, thus encouraging Rukawa to ask more. "Hanamichi," he began again.

"What is it this time? Ask anything, the tensai knows everything," Sakuragi smirked.

_Anything? Fine._ "Do you love me?" he asked very clearly. He could barely find enough courage to peek at Sakuragi. The redhead had flushed at his question and was presently opening and closing his mouth, dumbfounded and unable to utter a word. "What's the matter, do'aho? I thought you knew everything," Rukawa taunted, hoping to calm Sakuragi down.

"And I do!" Sakuragi spat, momentarily forgetting his discomfort. Then he remembered Rukawa's question and became flustered again.

"Then do you or do you not?"

"W-well...it's..." Sakuragi stammered, desperately trying to gain back his self-confidence. "Why do you ask?"

"Just answer the question."

"Uh...well...uhm...You know...it's..." Sakuragi took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Yeah, I do."

Rukawa's stomach flipped. A smile stretched his lips into a tiny smile. "Say it," he ordered.

"Say what?"

"That you love me."

"Why?"

"Because I tell you to."

"Bastard! You think I'll do whatever you tell me to?"

"Stop making a fuss and say it," Rukawa demanded.

"Hmph! I can't believe this. Conceited bastard!" Sakuragi mumbled. Then he grimaced. "Fine. But I'm not doing it because you tell me to."

"Whatever."

"If you don't stop being such an asshole I won't say anything."

"Che! Just say it already!" Rukawa stepped forward, beginning to lose his temper.

"Alright, alright! Keep your pants on! Geez, you can be such a bastard." Sakuragi stopped to catch his strangely short breath. His face took on a darker shade of red. "Okay, here it comes. Are you ready?"

"You're really determined to make a show of this," Rukawa muttered. But he was happy and could scarcely hold back his mirth.

"Damn you! It's not every day the world gets to hear the tensai's confession!"

"Yeah, it's only happened fifty times before this," Rukawa sneered.

"Aargh! That's it! I'm not going to say a thing to you!" Sakuragi wailed, gripping his ball tight and whirling around.

Rukawa smiled. Discreetly he made his way behind Sakuragi and wound his arms around the taller boy's waist. He pressed his nose into Sakuragi's hair and mumbled into his ear. "Say it," he crooned. He felt Sakuragi shiver.

"Ha...haha! You wish," Sakuragi managed to say albeit not very reassuringly.

"Hmm." Rukawa pulled Sakuragi snugly against him and rubbed his nose to Sakuragi's exposed neck. "Yeah, I wish," he whispered. He trailed his other hand over Sakuragi's stomach and chest and back down again, resting it on Sakuragi's hip. "Won't you grant my wish?"

"N-no way...I'm not--" Sakuragi had to pause to swallow, "I'm not going to..."

Rukawa slipped his hand under Sakuragi's shirt and caressed the taut muscels. "You sure?" he asked with a low voice. He pressed a series of butterfly kisses on Sakuragi's shoulder and then stopped to inhale the redhead's scent. Teasingly, he blew at the flushed skin on Sakuragi's neck and then bent down for a swift lick. Sakuragi quivered. Slowly Rukawa brought his hand to the string of Sakuragi's shorts and then under the rough fabric, making Sakuragi tremble with pleasure and anticipation. "Do'aho, say it."

"I...Ah!... I love you," Sakuragi moaned. He leaned his head on Rukawa's shoulder and reached behind to grasp Rukawa's dark hair.

Rukawa smiled. "Kiss me," he whispered, brushing his lips against Sakuragi's cheek.

Sakuragi tilted his head back and to the side to gaze at Rukawa. "So damn persisting. Always making demands," he complained but obliged anyway. Softly he grazed Rukawa's lips with his own.

"Thank you," Rukawa breathed. "Now, kiss me properly." He swung Sakuragi around to face him and roughly brought their hips together, making Sakuragi moan.

"We're in public here," Sakuragi observed.

Rukawa smirked. "I know," he answered before closing the distance between him and Sakuragi with force. He licked Sakuragi's lips for entrance and then dipped his tongue inside Sakuragi's mouth, sliding it against the redhead's. They both smiled into the kiss. Then Rukawa ground his hips against Sakuragi's and soon Sakuragi forgot that anyone else even existed in the world but he and Rukawa.

* * *

It wasn't that Rukawa had much doubted Sakuragi's affection. He was intelligent enough to read the do'aho's behaviour and to feel the emotions in Sakuragi's touch. He had been curious to know why Sakuragi always held back words when he was such a talkative person. And also why Sakuragi never seemed to be as enthusiastic to make out with him as he was. But in the end he preferred it this way. Sakuragi was very cute when he was all flustered and embarrassed. Still, it was kind of nice to know that Sakuragi was head over heels about him. Very nice, actually. Very very nice. Heart-warming. And it saved his pride. He could let Sakuragi invade his thoughts and dreams as much as the boy wanted. After all, he knew now he wouldn't be the only one with his head in the clouds. 


	13. The Difficult Choice

Notes: I had the first version of this ready ages ago. I really wanted to write it that way. I stalled and stalled but then I finally had to admit that it sucked. Bleh. So I rewrote the chapter and I think it's fine now. Sorry for the wait! And thank you for your feedback! I appreciate it. Read on, it's the 13th chapter.

* * *

Chapter 13 - The Difficult Choice

"Thank you." Rukawa closed the gym door and headed towards the school gates. He held open a small leaflet and fixed his eyes upon it, distress showing on his features.

The leaflet presented an American university. Its pages showed Rukawa a number of smiling students and parts of a campus which seemed lively and interesting. The most important thing for Rukawa, however, was that the university was famous for its basketball players. Many professionals were students or former students of that university. It would be a great place to start his career in America.

Anzai-sensei had come to him during practice and asked if he could have a word with him afterwards. Rukawa had complied of course. He had sent Sakuragi off before him, telling him he would come by later that evening. Then he had went to the sides of the court where Anzai-sensei had been sitting. And the white-haired sensei had given him the leaflet.

A representative of the American university would come to see him play next week. He would decide if Rukawa was good enough to enter the university. If things went well, Rukawa would be off to America after he had finished high school. He could finally start living his dream. It made him anxious and giddy and he was grateful for Anzai to give him this chance. But…

"Oi!"

Rukawa looked up, startled. Sakuragi was standing at the gate. He watched as the redhead picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder and approached him with a grin plastered on his face. Quickly, Rukawa stuffed the leaflet into his pocket. "You didn't have to wait," he said, brushing his hand against Sakuragi's cheek.

"Yeah, well…" Sakuragi shrugged. "So, what did the old geezer want?"

Rukawa tensed. _It's my dream…but…_ "Nothing much." He cursed his eyes for avoiding Sakuragi's. If Sakuragi would notice that he was lying…

"Che! And here I was, hoping he would dismiss you from the team for that sloppy performance you showed in our last game," Sakuragi cheerfully exclaimed.

_He didn't notice. Good. _Rukawa scoffed. He grabbed Sakuragi's arm to lead him away from the school. They fell into stride easily because of their similar height and their long legs carried them down the street at a rapid pace. "As if he would kick out his best player. And I really don't want to hear about _my_ sloppy play. What were you doing, letting that poor excuse of a player block you?"

For a moment Sakuragi seemed disorientated but then he started vehemently to explain in every possible and impossible way what had happened, inevitably leading to the conclusion that a commoner like Rukawa would never understand the tensai's strategy. Satisfied with his reasoning, Sakuragi walked on, humming contentedly to himself.

Never before had Sakuragi looked so beautiful to Rukawa as he did now when the shadow of their future separation hung over them. Never had Rukawa felt so clearly how deeply he had fallen in love with Sakuragi. The thought of being away from Sakuragi for so long made him feel physically ill. But he wouldn't give up his dream, even for Sakuragi. He couldn't. If he did, then what meaning would his childhood and teenage years hold? Basketball had been his life from the moment he had held a ball for the first time.

Rukawa had read about people who gave everything away just to be with the one they loved. He didn't think he could do the same. There was selfishness in him which he himself knew the best and which he couldn't get rid of. Now all he could do was to hope that Sakuragi would understand.

* * *

Rukawa stared at the ceiling of the Sakuragi household, feeling quite distressed. It had been a week and he hadn't broken the news to Sakuragi yet and it was beginning to get slightly unnerving, the way it weighed on his mind.

"Hanamichi." Rukawa rose onto his elbows and looked down at Sakuragi.

"Hm?" Sakuragi looked up from his video game to quickly glance at Rukawa before returning his attention to the television screen.

"There's something I have to tell you," Rukawa said. He looked attentively at Sakuragi, trying desperately to find the right words to break the news to his boyfriend. He knew for sure that Sakuragi wouldn't take it well and when the redhead got angry he had a habit of not listening, so things might turn out badly. But exactly how badly, would be the important part.

"Ha? _You_ want to _talk_?! That's new," Sakuragi joked. He obviously hadn't realized Rukawa was serious yet. "Okay. Wait till I finish this level. I'm almost done."

Rukawa dropped back on the bed, crossing his fingers over his stomach. He could wait. He wanted to wait. No, actually he didn't want to talk about it at all. He wanted to skip this subject and pretend nothing had happened. But that was impossible. So he would have to be satisfied with the short postponement Sakuragi unknowingly offered him.

Rukawa lay on his back with his eyes closed and listened apprehensively to the sounds of the game. Sakuragi was fighting someone and it wasn't going too well, judging by the grunts and curses flowing out of his mouth at a steady pace. That was good. It would further delay the dreadful talk. _Come on, Hanamichi. Lose, lose. There's no need to push yourself. Take it slowly. I don't want to do this. I so don't want to do this._

"Hah! Serves you right, you stupid bastard! Trying to beat this tensai...You're a million years too early!"

Rukawa groaned inwardly. Sakuragi played on, now whistling to himself, now cursing vehemently, according to how things were progressing. And Rukawa listened to him, his breathing shallowing the further Sakuragi got. He was still trying to decide what to say. There wasn't enough time. He wasn't ready yet.

"Hell yeah!" Sakuragi yelled, thrusting his fist in the air in a victory pose. "The tensai stirkes again!"

Rukawa opened his eyes and saw the white ceiling looming above him. "You...cleared the level?" he asked, almost timidly.

"Hehee! Of course, who do you think I am?" Sakuragi answered, not noticing anything weird in Rukawa's voice.

Rukawa swallowed hard. Taking a deep breath, he sat up. "Then--"

Before Rukawa could continue, the door to Sakuragi's room burst open and the gundan marched in, carrying various bags of food and drinks.

"What, Hanamichi? You cleared the level?!" Ookusu said doubtfully.

"He must've cheated," Noma suggested, his head lowered to rummage through the contents of his bag.

Sakuragi shot them a nasty glare. "Why you little...Who cheated? Who? You think this tensai has to cheat to win?" He lifted his fists threateningly, still holding the controller in one hand.

"Well, save your game, Hanamichi, so we can play something else," Yohei hurried to cut in before a war broke out between the enraged redhead and the two mischiveous boys.

Grudgingly, Sakuragi complied.

Rukawa plopped back on the bed, letting out a mixed sigh of frustration and relief. It looked like he wouldn't have to speak yet.

"Hey, let's play this one!" Takamiya said enthusiastically.

"Not that again. Why do you always want to play that?" Ookusu complained.

"It's the only game he has a chance to win," Noma explained and was swiflty rewarded with a thwack on his head. "Ouch! That hurt. What was that?"

Sakuragi hollered with laughter but stopped abruptly when he remembered something. Turning to Rukawa, he poked the boy. "Right. What was it you wanted to talk about?" he asked as Rukawa turned to look at him.

"Nothing. It can wait." _Damn right, it can. Until the end of days, for all I care. No. I have to clear things up before the game._ "We'll talk later."

Sakuragi blinked and for the first time, looked carefully at the stoic features of his boyfriend. "You sure?"

"Hn."

"What's this?" Takamiya asked, suddenly jumping near the two boys. "Rukawa wanted to talk about something?"

_Ah, shit. I hope they won't offer to leave us alone so that I can--_ Rukawa's thoughts were cut off by Takamiya's laughter. He looked at the bespectacled boy, perplexed by his sudden outburst.

"Haha! What's the matter? Are you ill? You want to _talk_? That's not normal," Takamiya laughed.

Rukawa let out an exasperated sigh. _Right. This is the gundan. No fear of them being sensitive. Except..._ Rukawa quickly glanced at Yohei. The boy smiled at him innocently but he could tell Yohei had already caught wind of something. _Damn that guy. Why the hell is he always so sharp?. That's going to be the death of him some day._

Sakuragi gave Rukawa one last look before scooping over to Ookusu and the chips. Rukawa watched him go. _Oh well. I'll just have to talk to him some other time._ Rukawa sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He now felt very relieved he didn't have to say anything yet, although he tried not to admit this weakness to himself.

* * *

It wasn't until after several anxiety filled days that Rukawa managed to muster up enough courage and determination to talk to Sakuragi. They had went to play on a public court on Sakuragi's suggestion and it being very late in the evening, they had the court all to themselves. Rukawa felt the opportunity was mocking him with its perfection. It was like it was shouting: 'There's no one here! See? You're all alone, no one to interrupt you or hear what you say. Now's your chance, Rukawa Kaede!' It didn't make Rukawa very happy. So he kept telling himself that it could wait for a bit longer. It could wait until they had played a little. It could wait until they had rested a little. It could wait until they had played a little more. But finally he had to admit that it could not wait any longer.

"Hanamichi," Rukawa suddenly called out, in the middle of Sakuragi's so called commoner's shot.

Sakuragi looked back, startled by Rukawa's solemn tone, and tumbled ungracefully to the ground. The ball soared through the air and neatly went through the hoop. The sound of it bouncing went unnoticed by the two boys and died away before either of them made another comment.

Rukawa fixed his eyes somewhere over Sakuragi's shoulder, unable to make himself meet Sakuragi's gaze. "I don't know if you...remember when I said there's something I want to talk to you about," he said, his own voice resounding cold and awkward in his ears.

Sakuragi stood up slowly, sensing there was something grave on Rukawa's mind. His normally cheerful face was drawn in serious lines. "I remember."

"Well..." Rukawa cleared his throat and shuffled his feet, feeling so uncomfortable under Sakuragi's stare that he could hardly bear it. "You...know that I'm not good with words. I don't know how to say this...Shit." Rukawa's hand went up and swept some sweat from his forehead in a nervous gesture before he could stop it from doing so.

Sakuragi narrowed his eyes and studied Rukawa with a foreboding feeling.

It took Rukawa a while to recompose but then he finally decided to just go through with it as quickly as he possibly could. There was no meaning in beating around the bush. "The upcoming game, someone from this American university is going to come and see it."

"Why?" Sakuragi asked although he already knew. He was tense and had gone so white it was terrible to look at.

"To see if I'm good enough to go to that university." Rukawa didn't dare to look at Sakuragi.

"An American university?"

"Yeah."

"You'll go to America?"

"You knew I would, some day." There was a long pause during which Rukawa never once lifted his eyes from the ground and neither of them made a move. Just when Rukawa began to think the silence was unbareable, Sakuragi spoke again.

"I see. Well, have fun then."

There was coldness in Sakuragi's voice Rukawa had never heard before. This finally made him look up. "What?"

Sakuragi turned his back to Rukawa and began to pack his things. "I said, have fun in America."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Rukawa was honestly confused.

Sakuragi merely shrugged.

Rukawa stepped closer to Sakuragi and grabbed his elbow. "Is that all you can say?"

Sakuragi yanked his arm free but still refused to meet Rukawa's eyes. "What else do you want me to say? Isn't it better this way for you? You can go to America without an embarrassing scene and I can remain here with my pride intact."

"Without a scene?" Rukawa repeated, blankly. Then anger flared in his eyes and he forcefully whirled Sakuragi around to face him. "I would much rather have you throwing a fit than being like this. Does it mean nothing to you, that I'm going to America quite soon and that we won't see each other for who knows how long?" he demanded, upset that Sakuragi had hardly reacted at all to the news that had plagued Rukawa night and day for so long.

"Mean nothing?" Sakuragi's eyes lit up angrily. "What the hell? What kind of a person do you think I am? Do you think that I've made my mother sad just for fun? Do you think I've enjoyed being scorned at by your stupid cheerleaders?"

"What?! What does that have to do with anything?"

Hurt flashed in Sakuragi's eyes. He gritted his teeth and fisted his hands, barely able to contain his fury. "You really are a bastard, Rukawa," he ground out through his teeth.

Rukawa flinched, as if Sakuragi had hit him. "What? I don't understand what you're so angry about."

This seemed to enrage Sakuragi even more. In a split of a second, his fist had connected with Rukawa's jaw. "You fucking bastard! You think you can just come here and then without a warning break up with me and expect me to not get angry? How arrogant can you get?"

"Break up?" Rukawa forgot the throbbing on the side of his face as he stared at Sakuragi in disbelief. _So he thinks I'm..._ "I'm not breaking up with you!"

Sakuragi stopped growling. "What?"

"Who said I'm breaking up with you? Do'aho!"

"You're going to America, right? And you're not coming back," Sakuragi said with sudden uncertainty.

"That's right," Rukawa confirmed. "You know being the best in basketball is my dream."

Anger returned to Sakuragi's face. "So that means you're breaking up with me."

"No, it doesn't."

"Yes, it does," Sakuragi insisted reproachfully. "What kind of relationship would it be, you in America and me in Japan? I'm not as stupid as you think I am."

"Don't you think our relationship could last a year of separation?" Rukawa demanded to know, a painful knot forming in his abdomen.

"What the hell are you talking about? You just said yourself that you're not coming back."

"Not very soon, perhaps in twenty years or so. But that's not the point."

"How is that not the point?" Sakuragi spat.

"Aren't you coming to America as well? Anzai-sensei told me you will have your chance next year." Rukawa was beginning to get desperate to make Sakuragi understand that this was not the end.

Sakuragi looked astonished for a moment. Then his face darkened and he grabbed his bag to leave. "Spare me from your pity," he hissed angrily and began to walk away.

Rukawa grabbed his arm, trying to force Sakuragi to stay. "What pity? Hanamichi, I love you. I don't want to break up with you."

"Shut up! I don't want to listen." When Rukawa persisted in following him, he turned and punched Rukawa straight in the face. For a fleeting moment Rukawa swayed on his feet and then his eyes turned up and he fell to the ground, unconscious. Sakuragi bent to drag Rukawa to a bench where he settled the dark boy quite violently. He turned to leave but hesitated. Debating silently with himself, he finally sighed in resignation and turned back. Softly he kissed Rukawa's lips.

"You bastard. Stupid kitsune," he muttered. "I hate you." Then he slung his bag over his shoulder and left.


	14. Solutions

Notes: Right. Here's the next chapter. I hope the wait wasn't too long. Anyway, I'll write one more chapter of this and then I'll move on to next challenges. I'll either write a continuation to this one or then I'll try a different kind of Rukawa. I have a few ideas in mind.

* * *

Chapter 14 - Solutions

_That moron! That insufferable fool! That...do'aho!_ Rukawa was furious. _I always knew he was an idiot and now it's proven. That stupid...He understands nothing!_ Rukawa scowled at a little girl who happened to stand in his way and didn't even notice how the girl ran crying to her mother, and was equally oblivious to the mother's angry glare. _Dimwit! Moron! Do'aho!_ Rukawa kicked a pebble on the street to vent his anger. He gritted his teeth. _I'll_ make_ him understand. I'll force his slow brain to comprehend._

He had left his jacket and bag to the court, forgetting them in his haste to knock some sense into Sakuragi's thick skull. _And by all that is holy, that's exactly what I'm going to do. Even against his will. If that do'aho messes things up now, I'm not going to forgive him._

Rukawa's angry strides had brought him to Sakuragi's house and he stopped, standing with his hand on the open gate, to glance up at a window which he knew belonged to Sakuragi. Curtains blocked his view but a faint light shimmered through them so most likely Sakuragi was there. Rukawa drew a shaky breath, his anger quickly melting, giving way to anxiousness not very different from what he had felt when he had confessed. _This_, he determined, _is the same kind of situation. It's all about whether or not I will have him. Shit. I'm getting nervous. What is there to be nervous about? He's been a complete idiot and I'll just have to make him see that. Simple. So why can't I stop trembling? Argh, fuck. Relax, Kaede, of course you will have him. He wouldn't give up at this point, would he?_

Rukawa walked briskly to the door and pressed his finger on the doorbell, then stepped back to wait. He glanced up to look at the window again but it couldn't be seen from his spot so he lowered his gaze back to the door. Which remained shut. He tapped the granite wall next to the door with his foot, trying to contain his impatience but with poor results. Before he could stop himself, he had already pressed the doorbell again, leaving his finger on it for a few seconds this time, determined to get Sakuragi to open the door.

He heard someone touch the lock from the other side of the door and stepped hastily back, recalling a painful memory of having that door shoved in his face. When the door was partly open, he grabbed the handle and yanked it wide open, calling Sakuragi's name in the process. But instead of Sakuragi, he was greeted by the shocked face of Sakuragi's mother.

"Ah. Sakuragi-san," he murmured, letting go of the door and bowing apologetically. _Shit_, was that came into his mind at the moment. Sakuragi's mother had his name written in her black list and yelling in her face probably wasn't the best way of getting it erased from it. It only proved that you should never act uncharacteristically and without thinking.

"Rukawa-kun," Sakuragi's mother said rather coldly.

"Ah...Hum...Is Hanamichi here?" Rukawa asked, still out of sorts and desperately trying to regain his composure.

"He says he doesn't want to see anyone."

_Doesn't want to see anyone? Do'aho, what the hell do you think you're doing?_ "I have something important to say to him. I know you don't like me but please, let me see him," he pleaded.

Sakuragi's mother studied him carefully for what seemed like an eternity to the impatient boy and then she stepped aside, letting him enter. "I don't know if he'll let you in. He has locked his door," she informed him before disappearing through a door leading to the living room.

"Thank you," Rukawa said to her retreating back and then started to ascend the stairs, his heart thumping wildly and blood rushing. He reached Sakuragi's door and lifted a shaky hand to rap at it. "Hanamichi," he called with a hoarse voice. Silence greeted him. "Hanamichi," he called again, putting his hand on the doorknob in an attempt to open the door. It didn't budge.

Sakuragi shifted in the room, Rukawa could hear his clothes rustling, but the redhead said nothing.

"Hanamichi, would you open the door so we can talk."

Nothing.

Rukawa sighed. A weird, painful feeling was settling in his stomach but he ignored it. "Okay. If you prefer to talk through the door, that's fine with me." He paused to consider what to say. "Hanamichi...you're an idiot." As soon as the words left his lips he realised they perhaps weren't the wisest ones he could've uttered. He heard an angry grunt through the door and grimaced. "Eh...What I mean to say is that you're wrong."

He received no answer.

"Look, use the little sense you have in that brain of yours and think about it rationally," Rukawa said impatiently. "We have been dreaming of going to America for years. Now I got the chance and I will take it. You would do the same, you know that."

Silence.

"You piss me off, you know that? Why the hell are you throwing a tantrum over this?"

"Throwing a tantrum?!" Sakuragi finally responded. A heavy blow rattled the door but it did not open. "Is nothing enough for you? I try to be calm about it and you complain. I show my anger and you complain. What the hell do you want?"

"I want you to lose that childish bullshit and listen to me and think."

"Che!"

The door shook again and then Rukawa heard Sakuragi lean against it. "Hanamichi, I know it's not easy. You think I will enjoy being away from you for a year? Of course I won't. But we can manage. Have a little faith in us. Have a little faith in _me_. I won't fail you."

"Again you babble about a year. I already told you I don't want your pity."

"Pity?"

"I'm not coming to America!"

The feeling in Rukawa's stomach twisted into a tight knot and a painful pang heaved his chest. He pressed his hand upon his erratically beating heart and grimaced, trying to supress the sudden urge to choke. "Not coming?" he repeated weakly. He had never even considered such an option. Why would Sakuragi not go to America? It made no sense. "Have you given up on your dream? Have you given up on basketball?"

A pause. "Yes." The word came out harshly and bitterly, muffled by the door which separated them from each other.

Rukawa was so utterly shocked that he could scarcely think. His thoughts were in a chaos. "What?" he asked, not believing he had heard correctly.

"I have given up."

Rukawa trembled from head to toe, still not believing it. He didn't want to believe it. He would not believe it. "Cut the crap, Hanamichi. Why would you give up?"

"Because I'm not good enough," Sakuragi said bitterly.

"What?!" Rukawa raised his voice, not caring if Sakuragi's mother heard them. What Sakuragi was saying was absurd. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No, I havent! It's always about you! Rukawa this and Rukawa that. It makes me sick. But it's true. You're amazing. I've seen you on the court and I've played with you and there's nothing that can compare to the feeling I get when I see you playing. You look like a god. What can I do? I can't answer that. Compared to you, I'm…I'm totally different."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Rukawa muttered. His voice was quiet but Sakuragi obviously heard him because another angry grunt could be heard from the other side of the door. Rukawa stared at the wooden surface in front of him, frowning and considering what would be the best course of action from this point on. His anger and disappointment at Sakuragi made it difficult to think rationally and he could feel his normal aloofness rapidly dissipating but he tried to keep his cool, knowing that rash words would not be helpful. But hearing Sakuragi say such things made him so furious! He couldn't bear to hear Sakuragi being belittled, even if Sakuragi himself was the one doing it. "Of course you're different. You're not me. Stop being so foolish. I can't take it much longer."

"So sorry to hear that," Sakuragi answered sarcastically.

Rukawa exhaled in irritation. "You've obviously decided to be a childish moron."

"Isn't that what people say I am? Haha, that's nice. Finally I can live up to their expectations."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Rukawa asked forcefully, losing his temper.

"Nothing."

Rukawa took a deep breath and clenched his fists into tight balls. "After the game, we'll talk whether you want to or not. We need to discuss how we will manage things from now on. Think about it, seriously." He stared at the door and then reached his hand to rest his fingers on it lightly. "Don't ever say you're not good enough. You are an amazing player. You know it and I know it if no one else does." He paused, hesitating. "I admire you," he then said carefully, not sure how Sakuragi would receive his statement. To his disappontment, Sakuragi remained silent.

Rukawa sighed and slowly pressed his forehead against the hard surface of the door. "Hanamichi…I don't want to lose you, so…Please." With that, he drew away from the door and headed towards the stairs. Sakuragi hadn't answered him in any way. It made him restless. He could only hope this would not hinder his performance in the important game.

He reached the stairs and descended downstairs. Coming to the front door, he slid his shoes on and grabbed the handle, about to go out, when a hand pressed his shoulder. Startled, he turned to look.

"Rukawa-kun," Sakuragi's mother said with a very serious expression and motioned him to follow.

Rukawa removed his shoes again and obligingly went to the living room after her, curious as to what she wanted from him. He hoped it wouldn't take long though, he needed to vent out his anger and frustration soon or he would explode. Couple of hours playing basketball usually did the trick. He sat down silently when she asked him to and looked at her questiongly.

Silence lingered on for several minutes. During this time Sakuragi's mother observed Rukawa with care. Then she sighed, something akin to resignation in her demeanor. "Did you two have a fight?" she asked.

Rukawa only continued to look at her, opting to remain silent. She had heard them just now so there was no reason for him to answer. And in any case, it wasn't any of her business.

She sighed again, this time so dejectedly that even Rukawa felt a tinge of worry. This was Sakuragi's mother after all. He couldn't remain completely emotionless. But before he could make his concern known, she had spoken again. "You two…I thought…Hm." She paused to search for words. "When Hanamichi first told me that he liked you I was very shocked." She chuckled mirthlessly. "But I guess you already know that. It's a difficult thing for a parent, you know, to comprehend that their children aren't children anymore. That Hanamichi would like someone in that sense, the same Hanamichi who just yesterday was wetting his bed, is nearly impossible for me to understand. And also, it's hard to treat him like an adult. So I didn't."

Rukawa listened to her attentively. She clearly wasn't comfortable with what she was saying but she said it anyway. This gave Rukawa hope that she would finally forgive Sakuragi for choosing a man. _I just hope it's not too late._ Pain swelled in his chest at the thought and he drove it away, wanting to concentrate on whatever Sakuragi's mother was saying and not too eager to dwell on such unhappy thoughts.

"I refused to acknowldge his independence. I was wrong. Had he been anyone else but him I could've respected his choice without any major objections. But…I don't know how to explain how it felt to suddenly be made aware that my son is a homosexual."

"He's not a homosexual," Rukawa cut in.

"What?"

"He likes to read lesbian porn," Rukawa blurted out before he could think it over. Again he was reminded why it was best to never act out of character. He groaned inwardly at his poor choice of words.

Sakuragi's mother looked flabbergasted and Rukawa couldn't really blame her. Who would want to know such things about their children? "So…Well…He's…"

Rukawa merely nodded, thinking it best not to open his mouth anymore.

She took a moment to regain her composure. Then she continued. "Well, be that as it may, he had fallen in love with a boy. It was a shock. I couldn't handle it. And I made it worse for him. I didn't really see it, until just now when he came home. I didn't see how important it was to him. It wasn't a mere childish infatuation. He looked so devestated that I…I've never seen him like that except for when his father died. It was then that I realized that he must really love you. And…the reason I'm telling you this is…I'm sorry." The last bit of her speech came out barely above whisper but Rukawa could hear it as clearly as if she had shouted.

There were the words Sakuragi had been waiting for, for months and months, years even. But he was not here to receive them. _Do'aho! Throwing a tantrum like you're only five years old. Dumbass._

Rukawa stood up. He walked to the doorway, ready to leave, when something came to his mind. He turned around to face Sakuragi's mother. "Tell him that I'll wait for him after the game at the park bench where we always meet. Tell him that…I want him to be there."

As Rukawa walked down the street, away from the Sakuragi household, he thought maybe he had only made things worse with his words. He couldn't tell. But he hoped to god Sakuragi would regain his spirit and make the decision he hoped he would make.

* * *

Sakuragi listened to Rukawa's footsteps fading away. When only silence greeted his ears, he let his legs give away and slumped to the floor. He knew he was acting childish but he couldn't help himself. He had always felt a little inferior to Rukawa because everyone was always admiring and cheering Rukawa on and nobody did that to him. Maybe saying nobody was exaggerating but right now he wanted to wallow in his self pity and not give a damn about how stupid it was. It made him feel good. But good in a bad way.

Huffing in frustration, he stood up and proceeded to plop onto his bed, burying his face in a pillow, feeling a need to scream but not wanting to submit to it. His mother was downstairs and already suspicious and he definitely didn't want her asking what was the matter with him. Normally he would call Yohei if something happened but today he felt he shouldn't. Yohei had been strangely busy lately, disappearing somewhere and not telling anyone why or where. Besides, Yohei might just point out he was being stupid and selfish and he didn't want to hear it.

Kaede, that asshole! Sakuragi thought irrationally. _It's all his fault. If only he wasn't so good, if only he wasn't so fucking cool at everything he does! Why does he have to be so annoyingly perfect?_ _Even a tensai like me is no match for him. Everyone likes him too, even when he's such a bastard. Shit! Why do _I_ have to like him? Did I do something horrible in my previous life? Is that why god hates me so much?_

Sakuragi thought irrationally. I 

Sakuragi's thoughts circled round and round. He imagined what he would say to Rukawa the next time they met. He would me mean and cool and make Rukawa look really bad. Or perhaps he should just remain silent and give Rukawa a cold shoulder. Or perhaps...perhaps he should just kiss Rukawa and let him melt the reality away. No more America, no more basketball, no more any of the shit the world was full of. Just him and Rukawa and Rukawa's lips on his and Rukawa's hands on his skin, scorching him with a fire capable of burning down everyhting in its way, capable of making him forget there was a world outside those beautiful, azure eyes.

Sakuragi sat up, his feet set firmly on the floor, and rested his head on his hands. A heavy sigh heaved his chest. It would be nice if something like that could satisfy him. But it couldn't. An illusion was not what he wanted to have with Rukawa. And he knew Rukawa wouldn't want that either. The time to be childish was over, he did not have the luxury of stooping down to have screaming matches. He had to think this over and think it well. He had to figure out what was important for him and how much he was ready to sacrifice to be with Rukawa. A year of separation would be very difficult for a person like Sakuragi and he was ready to acknowledge this.

Sakuragi sighed again. Perhaps he should call Yohei after all.

* * *

Rukawa adjusted his jersey and glanced at a clock on the opposite wall. It was almost eleven. The gym was filled with an eagerly chattering crowd. Behind him his team was getting ready for today's challenge. So many people but the one he wanted to be there the most, remained absent.

Rukawa grimaced. Had Sakuragi really meant what he had said about not wanting to play basketball again? Rukawa had thought it was only the anger speaking. What would he do if Sakuragi would give up on basketball? Would basketball be worth playing if Sakuragi was not there.

His eyes met Anzai-sensei's calm gaze. Beside the plump coach hovered a very tall, black man, evidently the representative of the American university. Anzai nodded and smiled.

Rukawa turned away,closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. _This won't do. I have to forget Hanamichi for now. This is an important game for me. I can't mess this up. Forget Hanamichi, he's only a distraction in this situation. If only he was here...I can't play as well without him. Have I become weak? Has love made me weak?_

Rukawa's thought were interrupted when he was slapped on the back. He turned to look and was greeted by a smiling face of his teammate.

"Captain," the smiling boy said cheerfully, "aren't you here to lead your team to victory?"

Rukawa gave no response, save for a blank look.

"If you are, then get on with it. Be careful though, or I might steal your place in that fancy American university of yours."

The words were said jokingly but they rekindled Rukawa's fighting spirit and he was almost grateful for the boy. He turned to face his team and tried to ignore how lonely it felt not having Sakuragi by his side, yelling how they would crush their opponents like cockroaches and blabbing nonesense about unrelated stuff. "Right. Let's win this."

"Where's the vice captain?" someone asked.

Rukawa could feel his expression grow frigid. The questioner flinced away. "He's not coming today," Rukawa answered.

"Huh? But how are we going to..?"

"What are we going to do?"

"He's not coming?"

Rukawa made a gesture with his hand and everyone quieted down, startled by its violent nature. "We will have to make do without him," Rukawa said in a surprisingly calm voice. "Forget it. The opponents are so easy we can defeat them with our eyes closed. We don't need Ha-- the vice captain to beat them." He regarded the team with cold eyes. "Or do you? Can't you beat them with your own strenght?"

Nervous silence greeted Rukawa's unusually agressive speech. They avoided Rukawa's challenging stare and shuffled their feet.

Rukawa looked away. _If Hanamichi was here he would be there in the middle of the court laughing his ass off at that team._

"Hell no!" the smiling boy suddenly shouted wildly. There was something resembling Sakuragi in him so Rukawa had always noticed him. Now he saw just how much similarity there was between the boys. "I don't need help crushing them! But if you guys do, I'll give you a hand." He laughed boastfully.

Rukawa turned away from the now bickering group to throw one final glance at the doors through which Sakuragi would've come if he had chosen to. They remained closed.

* * *

Sakuragi ran as fast as he could, his shirt open and flapping behind him as he sped through the streets. He bumped into people on his way but paid no heed to it, for it didn't hinder his movements, him being so much bigger than most of the people. He dodged a man carrying some boxes and cursed when little boys suddenly appeared in front of him, kicking a ball around. He leapt over them when they bent down to inspect an interesting stone on the road and continued his run.

He turned round a corner, hit a lady and turned his head around to see if she had been hurt and in his unattentive state ran straight into something solid. He staggered back, succeeding in maintaining his balance, and looked up, ready to apologize. But before he could open his mouth, the one he had ran into, called out in surprise.

"Sakuragi, what are you doing here?"

Sakuragi blinked rapidly to clear his sweat-dimmed vision. "Sendoh!" he exclaimed, being as surprised as Sendoh had been.

"Aren't you supposed to be in that game?" Sendoh asked, taking notice of Sakuragi's dishevelled and breathless state.

"I'm on my way."

Sendoh raised a brow. "Without your things? And it's about to end anyway."

Sakuragi shrugged. "I know. But I'm going. I have to go." He started running again.

"Did something happen?" Sendoh shouted after him.

"Nothing much!" Sakuragi yelled back. He glanced over his shoulder. "I've just been stupid, that's all." Then he disappeared from Sendoh's view.

The former Ryonan player scratched the back of his head in amusement. "Sakuragi," he hummed. "You're as cute as ever." Smiling happily to himself, he continued his own way, oblivious to the strange looks he was having.

* * *

Sakuragi reached the school the game was, just to see people filing out of the gate. He glanced around, searching for a familiar black head. Not finding it, he struggled his way through the crowd towards the gym. Stepping in, he was greeted with an empty court, with a few boys at its sides, carrying mops.

"Shit!" He turned back and looked hopelessly outside. Somehow it felt like he had been too late. That if he couldn't find Rukawa right now he would be lost forever. Of course he knew Rukawa wasn't going to America right away. But he couldn't fight off the cold feeling spreading wider and wider inside him the longer Rukawa remained unseen. He had to find Rukawa.

With new determination, Sakuragi went forth, diving into the crowd again. But this time, he was stopped short by a hand grabbing his wrist. He whipped around, ready to beat the crap out of anyone who had dared to try to hold him back, but recognized the culprit with some astonishment.

"Yohei!"

Yohei looked up at him, letting go of his hand. Haruko stood behind Yohei, also looking at Sakuragi.

"Yohei, what are you doing here? And Haruko-san!"

"The question is, why the hell were you not here! Wasn't this an important game for Rukawa?"

Sakuragi cast his eyes down. "I know. I just..."

Yohei sighed. "Don't say anything. I'm afraid I already know. The two of you seem to enjoy trouble. If there isn't any then you make some. It's about Rukawa going to America, right?"

"Yes. I have to find him. Did you see him?" Sakuragi grabbed Yohei's hand in his eagerness to extract information from him.

Yohei couldn't help a smile. "You're really hopeless. Yes, I saw him. He was heading to that park you always go to."

"Thanks!" With that, Sakuragi was off, leaving a gust of wind in his place. He ran as fast as he could again, even faster now that he knew he would reach Rukawa soon.

As he neared the park, he slowed down so as not to miss Rukawa's tall form. It didn't take him long to find it. It was slumped on the bench they frequented.

"Kaede!" he called, not pausing his hurried steps.

Rukawa looked up. "Hanamichi..."

"Kaede!" Sakuragi threw himself on Rukawa, winding his arms around the other's neck and hugging him. "Forgive me," he whispered, "I was just so...Forgive me. I will follow you to America so just wait for me, okay?" When he received no answer, he looked up, fearing he would see cold eyes telling him to go away. But he didn't.

Rukawa sighed barely audibly and then detached Sakuragi's hands from his neck. "It's fine," he said with a hoarse voice. He remained turned away from Sakuragi and his body was so tense Sakuragi could almost feel the muscels vibrating from the strain.

Dejected, Sakuragi scooped away from Rukawa and cast his eyes down. But then his relentless spirit took over again and he closed the distance between them, putting a hand on Rukawa's arm. "I'm sorry."

Rukawa didn't answer.

"I'm really sorry. I won't behave like that anymore."

Still, Rukawa remained silent.

"I'l work hard and follow you."

Rukawa let out a mirthless laugh. "That won't be necessary," he said.

Sakuragi drew back, confused. "What do you mean?"

Rukawa shook Sakuragi's hand off of him in a sudden angry movement. "I mean that I'm not as great as you thought I was."

"What?"

The same mirthless laughter left Rukawa's lips again, sounding awfully hollow. "I'm the one who's not good enough."

Sakuragi looked at Rukawa's strained expression with growing apprehension. "You don't mean..."

"That's right. I'm not going to America either." Again that terrible laugh. "I'll just stay here and rot like the loser I am."

Sakuragi felt such sympathy that it hurt. And seeing Rukawa so beaten threatened to bring tears into his eyes. Hesitantly, he reached his arm around Rukawa's shoulders. The boy didn't seem to even notice it. "What did they say?"

"That I'm good but still not on the level they assume their players to be."

"Then you'll just train hard to rise to that level."

"It's not that easy!" Rukawa snapped, his body now slightly trembling.

Sakuragi put his other hand on the side of Rukawa's face and turned it to face him. "I know. I know that better than anyone." He kissed Rukawa lightly. "We'll train together and go to America next year, right?"

Rukawa pulled his head back in an angry frenzy. "I don't need your pity!"

"How can I pity a guy as perfect as you are?"

Sakuragi's face was flushed with embarrassement and Rukawa could feel his whole body trembling against his and his heart pounding wildly. He looked so cute and gorgeous Rukawa couldn't resist him. Reaching up, he kissed Sakuragi. It felt good and melted away some of his distress. He encircled his arms around Sakuragi and buried his face into that blazing red hair which had caught his attention so long ago. "Do'aho," he muttered. "I'm not perfect."

"Yes, you are," Sakuragi's answer came, muffled by Rukawa's coat.

Rukawa felt his eyes burn with tears. The disappointment had been so severe that he could hardly believe he had made it out of Anzai-sensei's sight without breaking. He had managed to maintain his cool when he had been alone but Sakuragi's obvious concern and affection he couldn't bear. He swallowed with difficulty and then hot tears rolled down his cheeks and disappeared into the red flare under his nose. He hadn't cried since he was a child. It hurt. He hoped Sakuragi would not notice and think he was weak.

"Kaede?"

Rukawa tightened his hold so that he almost crushed Sakuragi. "Let's just stay like this for a while," he whispered hoarsly. He felt Sakuragi nod his consent and then his hug was returned with equal fervor. Rukawa continued to cry silently, washing away his disappointment and basking in the warmth of Sakuragi's compassion.

* * *

Hours later, they were still sitting in the dark, lifeless park. Rukawa had his arms loosely around Sakuragi's waist and Sakuragi was leaning against Rukawa's chest. Rukawa's emotional storm had calmed down, leaving only a dull ache of disappointment ebbing in his chest. He had overcome his crisis quickly, like he always did and now the knowledge of Sakuragi's choice was beginning to fill the empty space in his heart.

"Perhaps this is for the best," he said quietly.

Sakuragi started and looked up. "How so?"

"This way we can concentrate on our relationship."

"Hah! Like you can seriously say that, you bastard," Sakuragi mumbled, but in good nature.

"We have better chance now that your mother agrees to it."

"What? She agrees to it?"

Rukawa was surprised. "Didn't she tell you?"

"No! When did this happen?"

"When I came to your house and you had locked yourself up in your room."

"Damn her! She could've--" Sakuragi stopped in mid sentence.

Rukawa sighed but a smile tugged at his lips. "Don't tell me. You didn't talk to her at all? You've been buried in that room of yours ever since?"

"Eheh." Sakuragi grinned sheepishly.

"Do'aho," Rukawa muttered and planted a kiss on Sakuragi's forehead.

"Baka kitsune," Sakuragi answered. They shared a smile and then continued to sit in silence. Sakuragi broke it soon after. "Hey, Kaede."

"Hm?"

"Let's take over the world."

"Take over the world?" Rukawa repeated. An image of Sakuragi wearing luxorious robes, holding an uzi in one hand and the Earht in the other and a maniac grin plastered on his face, flashed through his mind.

"Yeah. Let show it what we've got. I mean, let's face it, there's no one there who could honeslty think of beating us."

Rukawa stared at the beaming redhead for a minute or two before finally breaking into laughter. It was a sound rarely heard. "Yeah, let's do that."

Sakuragi looked excited. "Great! It's decided then!"

Rukawa smiled. He leaned down. "Let's seal it with a kiss, then," he proposed.

"Pervert."

"Really?" Rukawa said, his mouth hovering above Sakuragi's and their breaths mingling. "And here I thought I was being romantic."

"You? Romantic? Like hell." Sakuragi smiled.

Their lips met in a gentle kiss.


	15. The Visit

Notes: I'm so sorry! I forgot to read the last chapter through after finishing it. It's because my brother was sitting next to me while I wrote the last part of it and I was distracted. I hope the typos didn't ruin it 'cause I know how annyoing it is when there's a good part and it's written incorrectly. Well, it's not like my English is that good anyway. I'm trying to improve though! So, this is the last part of this fic. Thank you for your support and patience! I hope to see you all soon. (Uh, not exactly see, 'cause I can't see you but you get my meaning…Right...) Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 15 - The Visit

Rukawa stood up and zipped his denims. With a careless movement he flushed the toilet and washed his hands. He grabbed the doorhandle, pushed the door open and stepped out, only to stumble on something left lying on the floor. Cursing silently, he regained his balance and turned to look what had blocked his way. When he saw what it was, he frowned irritabely. It was a pile of porn magazines.

"Hana!" he called into the apartment. He received his answer from their combined living and bedroom.

"What is it?" Sakuragi asked and Rukawa could see him leaning back on the bed to see to where Rukawa was standing.

"Didn't I ask you to get rid of these?" Rukawa said, lightly kicking the pile. Some magazines fell to the floor and spread open.

"I got them out from under the bed, didn't I?" Sakuragi said, showing an innocent face.

"And brought them here, next to the door, so that anyone who comes in will see them."

Sakuragi waved his hand light-heartedly. "So what? No one comes here anyway. At least not anyone who would mind seeing them."

"Wasn't your mother supposed to come today?" Rukawa reminded.

Sakuragi blinked. His mouth fell open. Then he jumped up, clutching his hair and letting out a shrill cry. "Oh no! That's true. Today's Tuesday, right? Shit, shit, shit! Look at the state of this room. Why don't you ever clean, you stupid kitsune!" He darted frantically around the room, picking up this and that and then letting them slip from his hands as he found something else which had to be taken to its place.

"Why don't you?" Rukawa asked, his tone annoyed although the sight of Sakuragi jumping about in his boxers was a pretty amusing sight. He walked into the room and grabbed Sakuragi's arm, effectively stopping him from picking up an expensive tea pot and running into a table. He circled his arms around Sakuragi's waist and pulled the redhead into a long kiss. Amusing wasn't the only adjective fit to describe Sakuragi's previous show. "After knowing you for almost twenty years," he murmured as he finally pulled away, "I don't think she'll care about a little mess. This is clean compared to your room in your mother's house."

Sakuragi's face was flushed and his eyes misty as he looked at Rukawa. "You think?"

Rukawa had to gasp at the sight. Waves of arousal spread through him and he tightened his hold around Sakuragi's waist, pulling their hips together and pressing his lips on Sakuragi's neck. "Yeah," he breathed. Slowly he trailed kisses along Sakuragi's jaw. "But lose the magazines."

"Okay," Sakuragi said and gasped as Rukawa's hands found their way under his boxers and up his spine. He trembled in delight. "Kaede..." he moaned.

Rukawa smirked. _What a wonderful way of making him do what I want. I should use this more often._ He brought both of his hands up and ran them through Sakuragi's tousled hair, at the same time kissing the tempting, swollen lips Sakuragi offered him. He felt Sakuragi's hands slipping around his neck and lowered his own to Sakuragi's waist again, pulling him closer and entangling their legs to get a better contact with Sakuragi's body. Sakuragi's hands digging into his hair, he pushed the redhead down on the bed and followed the falling boy, landing on top of his boyfriend's bare chest.

Sakuragi let out a faint whimper. "Ouch," he said but his voice came out barely above a whisper.

"Sorry," Rukawa apologized, his breathing growing heavier. His hands fumbled the waist of Sakuragi's boxers. They were about to really get it on when the sound of a doorbell reached Rukawa's ears. Nearly cursing aloud, he lifted his head and twisted it around to glare at the front door. Sakuragi hadn't apparently heard anything because instead of stopping, the redhead reached out and started kissing Rukawa's neck and wrapped his legs around Rukawa's waist. Rukawa groaned. If only he could continue this but..._ Fuck! It's probably his mother. We shouldn't keep her waiting._

Reluctantly, Rukawa grabbed Sakuragi's hands and pulled them down from his hair. With a little wiggling, he managaed to escape Sakuragi's strong hold round his hips and he stood up, breathing hard and his cheeks flushed. He gazed down at Sakuragi who was giving him a confused and dazed look.

"What's wrong?" Sakuragi asked, breathlessly.

9;Rukawa had to grit his teeth and clench his fists to repress his flaring passion. "Your mother's at the door," he explained. Not daring to look into the alluring eyes a second longer, he whirled around and took a few long strides to the door. With a series of nasty mental images, he managed to calm down his arousal, and after taking a deep breath, he opened the door, ready to welcome Sakuragi's mother to their humble abode.

"Yo!"

That accursed smile, that doubly accursed ridiculous haircut. There was no mistaking it. Rukawa slammed the door shut.

"Aw, Rukawa! Why so cold?" Sendoh wailed through the door. The doorbell began to ring again. Sendoh had no intention of leaving.

_Some people have no manners,_ Rukawa thought bitterly. Still, it was better to let the idiot in and then out of the apartment before Sakuragi's mother made her appearance. But not until after some preparations were done.

Rukawa darted away from the door, ignoring the incessant ringing of the doorbell, and rushed next to the bed. "Hana, put some clothes on."

"Huh?" Sakuragi was still out of it.

Rukawa fumbled under the bed, knowing Sakuragi liked to store his things there. He found Sakuragi's black, sleeveless shirt and white shorts and tossed them to the slowly recovering redhead. Then he proceeded to the bathroom to gather Sakuragi's underwear that hung drying and stuffed them into their closet. He grabbed a shirt from the floor, his own but it didn't matter, and gave it to Sakuragi. "Put this on too," he ordered sternly.

Sakuragi accepted it and put it on.

Rukawa scrutinized the room and Sakuragi with narrowed eyes and upon finding them to his satisfaction, went back to the door. He would've preferred Sakuragi wearing proper trousers but he had to let the grinning idiot in before they would receive a complaint for causing a ruckus in the stairway.

"Finally," Sendoh exclaimed as the door was opened. He stepped in under Rukawa's disapproving stare and sent a dazzling smile to Sakuragi who had just emerged from the living room. "Ah! Hanamichi!"

Rukawa closed the door with unnecessary force, glaring daggers at Sendoh's back. _Don't call him Hanamichi, you asswipe!_

"Sendoh! What are you doing here?" Sakuragi asked curiously, oblivious to the admiring look directed at him and to the angry glare directed at Sendoh. He had vaguely noticed Rukawa made him wear a lot of clothes whenever Sendoh was near but since he rarely let anything bother his peace of mind unless it hit him in the face, he thought nothing of it. The idea of Sendoh liking him had never even crossed his mind. That Sendoh paid so much attention to him was only natural to him; he was the tensai after all.

"I came to see how you two lovebirds are doing in your lovely nest," Sendoh answered eloquently. He offered a grocery bag to Sakuragi. "Here. I brought you a gift. Ah, mind if I use the toilet?"

"Go ahead," Sakuragi assented, already engrossed in the contents of the bag.

Rukawa's eyes narrowed as Sendoh made his way to the bathroom. Lately he had seen Sendoh's face much too often for his liking. Why the bastard had chosen to make their apartment his second home was obvious to Rukawa but he'll be damned if he let anything happen. Sakuragi was his, by right earned through numerous difficulties overcome, and he would not let anyone, least of all Sendoh, to steal the redhead away from him. To ensure that, Sendoh could not be left, under any circumstance, alone with Sakuragi. He had followed this policy with success for quite some time now but Sendoh had proven to be a tough advesary. The idiot seemed to be unable to admit defeat and this irritated the hell out of Rukawa.

Sakuragi had by now emptied the contents of the grocery bag to the floor and was currently sitting in the middle of the food, examining the packages one at a time and grinning to himself. "Look, Kaede! It's my favourite flavour!" he exclaimed, holding out some ice cream.

Rukawa removed his suspicious eyes from the bathroom door to stare at the ice cream. _Throw it out a window,_ was what he wanted to say but he refrained from doing it because Sakuragi was so obviously happy about it. So instead of demolishing the innocent container, he held out his hand to receive it. "Give it to me," he said sullenly, "I'll put it in the freezer." After Sakuragi had given it to him, he went to the fridge, jumping over the piles of food Sakuragi had spread about, and tossed the ice cream in the freezer compartment. When he turned around, Sendoh came out of the bathroom, looking slightly disappointed. Rukawa smirked.

"Had a nice dump?" he asked with malicious delight. _Fucking pervert._

Understanding flickered in Sendoh's eyes but his smile never wavered. "Not as nice as I would've liked," he answered easily.

Sakuragi looked up at the two dark-haired men glaring at each other. "What the hell is up with you two?" he asked, quite disturbed by the subject Rukawa and Sendoh had chosen. "Never mind, I don't wanna know. Kaede, do you remember what time mom said she was coming?"

Rukawa instictively glanced at his watch. "Around four."

"What time is it now?"

Rukawa had to check his watch again. "It's five past four."

"Shit! I better get rid of those damn magazines now," Sakuragi muttered, standing up and making his way to the door. He grabbed the colourful pile along the way and disappeared before neither Rukawa nor Sendoh could say anything.

Rukawa used this opportunity to stuff all the food into the fridge and into cupboards. Nearly all of it was sweet or otherwise unhealthy. That was how Sakuragi liked it. It was kind of annoying that Sendoh knew this much of Sakuragi although Rukawa had to admit it was probably because Sakuragi was always making his preferences known quite loudly.

Rukawa threw a sideways glance at Sendoh who had flopped on their bed like he owned the damned thing. Granted, there was nowhere else to sit since they hadn't bought any chairs, but still. It was _their_ bed, his and Sakuragi's, and it was the last place he wanted to see Sendoh. So he grabbed a pillow used for decoration, though why they had such a thing was beyond him since the only place it could decorate (due to the always unmade bed) was the floor, and tossed it to Sendoh.

Sendoh caught it with ease gained from years and years of playing basketball and examined it with amused interest. "Ah, Rukawa. You shouldn't give gifts to other people behind Hanamichi's back," he drawled.

Rukawa seethed. "Get off our bed."

"Oh? You'd put your guests on the floor?"

"Every unwanted guest."

Sendoh chuckled and obliged. "It's good to see you're still so fierce about Hanamichi," he said as he settled comfortably on the floor. "You guys should buy a carpet."

"Shut up. And don't call him Hanamichi." Rukawa sat on the bed, looking very much like he was guarding it.

Sendoh only laughed.

They sat in silence. Sendoh tried to strike a conversation every once in a while but due to Rukawa's lack of response he soon settled for curiously looking around the flat. Then they heard a key turning in a lock and soon Sakuragi's voice reached their ears. He was talking to someone who a moment later proved to be his mother. Apparently Sakuragi had met her on his way to dispose of the magazines.

Sakuragi's mother appeared on the living room threshold. She returned Rukawa and Sendoh's greetings while letting her gaze travel over the room. A slight smile grazed her lips before she turned stern. "Really, Hanamichi! What is with the state of this room? Don't you ever clean?"

"Ah, well...that is..." Sakuragi tried to explain but failed miserably.

"When was the last time you did your laundry?" she continued, bending down to gather some of the clothes which were scattered on the floor.

"Ah! Those are Kaede's clothes!" Sakuragi exclaimed triumphantly.

"Do I dare to look under the bed?" his mother inquired, suppressing yet another smile.

"Ah- Ahahah..." Sakuragi looked sheepish.

"Sakuragi-san," Rukawa said, standing up, "would you like some tea?"

She answered she would very much like to and so they spent the next half an hour sipping green tea from mugs which Rukawa had to wash for the occation. He very grudginly offered Sendoh his share and the happy-go-lucky guy accepted cheerfully. The bisquits Sendoh had brought also went to good use. Then Sakuragi-san put down her mug and ordered her son to get her bag from the entryway.

"I met your mother the other day," she told Rukawa as Sakuragi was fulfilling her request. "She asked me to tell you she's coming to Tokyo next Friday. She would like you to inform her if it's okay for her to visit you then."

Rukawa nodded.

"We had a nice long talk and we came up with a good idea. At least we think it's a good idea."

"Hm?" Rukawa raised his brows in a questioning manner.

Sakuragi-san smiled. She took her bag when her son gave it to her and asked Rukawa to come and sit next to her. Then she took an object from her bag.

"What's that?" Sakuragi asked curiously.

"This," Sakuragi-san replied, placing it on her lap, "is your childhood album."

"What?" Sakuragi shrieked. He dived for the album but Rukawa kept him away, placing a foot on his chest and kicking him so that he stumbled backwards. Since Sakuragi was never one to give up, he made another desperate attempt to retrieve the album but Rukawa's interest had been piqued and so he ended up flat on his back on the floor. "Damn you, Kaede! Don't look at it!"

But it was already too late. The album had been opened and Rukawa's eager eyes had fallen on a picture presenting Sakuragi as a baby, smiling up at the camera.

"He's three weeks old in this one," Sakuragi-san told Rukawa, pointing at a picture further down the page. It showed a sleeping baby wrapped in a red blanket. "I was hoping for a girl but when I saw him for the first time I wouldn't have changed a thing in him. He was so adorable."

Rukawa agreed to this with his whole heart. He had to fight down a smile as Sakuragi's mother flipped a page. The following pages were filled with pictures of Sakuragi as a baby and as a toddler. In most of them, Sakuragi was grinning. There was one which Rukawa especially liked because Sakuragi only had a few teeth in it. Sakuragi had been a lively child, judging by the amount of pictures where the boy was covered with dirt.

"Does he still sleep with his mouth wide open?" Sakuragi-san asked at one point. By now Sakuragi had been pushed to the floor several times.

Rukawa couldn't help the smile rising to his lips. "Yeah," he answered softly. He didn't notice the surprised look which flashed on Sakuragi's face nor the knowing smirk Sendoh had nor the smile Sakuragi-san wore. He was too engrossed in the cute little Sakuragi smiling at him from every picture to control his expressions and tones. He finished looking through the album and closed it, still smiling. "Thanks for showing it to me," he said to Sakuragi-san while handing it back to her. He noticed suddenly that Sakuragi was blushing furiously and his eyes flew suspiciously to Sendoh, thinking the pervert had done something to the redhead.

"I didn't do anything," Sendoh rushed to defend himself. He grinned. "It was all your doing."

"What?" Rukawa was confused. Everyone was looking at him and smiling and he couldn't figure out why the hell they were doing it. "What?" he repeated, frowning.

"Nothing," Sakuragi-san said. She gave the album back to him. "You can keep it. I made copies of the ones I have at home. Your mother and I thought this would be a good way for your two to get to know each other better."

Rukawa accepted the album with pleasure. "Thank you."

"Your mother will bring yours when she comes here."

"Ah." Rukawa tried to remember if he had any embarrassing pictures but couldn't remember. Perhaps he should call his mother and tell her that he wasn't available next Friday.

Sakuragi on the other hand had an entirely different idea. He sprang back to life at the mention of Rukawa's childhood album and beamed at his mother. "Really? I can't wait to see it." He threw a lopsided grin at Rukawa.

Rukawa seriously considered telling her mother they had to cancel the meeting.

Soon after that, Sakuragi-san left. Sendoh went with her, offering to take her to the train station by his car. As he stood in the threshold of the flat, he patted Rukawa's head and told him to be a good boy. This earned him a dirty glare and his hand was violently slapped away. Not feeling upset by this at all, Sendoh proceeded to give Sakuragi a peck on his nose. He managed to get a glimpse of Sakuragi's flustered face before he was thrown out of the apartment, courtesy of Rukawa's fist, and the door was slammed close in front of his face. He heard Sakuragi yelling and Rukawa calming the redhead down and decided it would be best to take his leave. For now.

"Shall we go then?" he asked pleasantly, offering his arm as a support for Sakuragi's mother. She was a bit thrown off by what she had just witnessed but agreed to Sendoh's help anyway. "It keeps Rukawa on his toes," Sendoh explained. Sakuragi-san didn't really understand.

Meanwhile Rukawa had managed to persuade Sakuragi to drop the plan of ripping Sendoh apart. Not that Rukawa didn't like the idea but now that they were finally alone again, they could pick up from where they had left off earlier. He advanced to Sakuragi and before the redhead could say anything, he had him pinned down on the bed.

"Let's continue," he muttered into Sakuragi's ear. His voice sent tremors throughout Sakuragi's body. He could feel the redhead quivering.

For a while Sakuragi resisted but then he gave in and circled his arms around Rukawa's neck and pulled the man into a searing kiss.

"Glad you agree," Rukawa smirked as their lips parted.

"Smug bastard," Sakuragi huffed but his eyes shone with warmth which never failed to melt Rukawa's heart.

Rukawa sealed Sakuragi's lips in another fierce kiss and let his hands roam hungrily over Sakuragi's shirt-covered chest and sides. He inserted one of his knees between Sakuragi's legs and again felt the shivers run through Sakuragi. He moved his lips to Sakuragi's neck and sucked and nipped at the rosy skin.

Sakuragi ran his hands through Rukawa's hair and pulled the man closer to him, yearning for the pleasure Rukawa's lips and hands promised. "Kaede..." he breathed out. "I want you..."

Rukawa thanked their young bodies for their ability to react so readily. He lifted his head to gaze down at Sakuragi's brown eyes which had become so soft Rukawa hadn't thought it possible. He smiled. This time he would be gentle, he would do it slowly and lovingly and let Sakuragi feel everything he could possibly offer. Lowering his head to peck at Sakuragi's lips, he smiled again. "I want you too. I love you."

Sakuragi's already red face flared.

Rukawa chuckled. "Show me that cute face of yours," he whispered into Sakuragi's ear. "Let me hear your voice." He wasn't disappointed as Sakuragi continued to fulfill his wish all throughout the night. Well, what else would two healthy, young, love-crazed men do at night? Let them have their fun.

The End


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